In order to ensure level playing field in the upcoming Lok Sabha election, the Election Commission has asked State governments to ensure that officers who are transferred out of a district after completing three years are not posted in another district within the same parliamentary constituency.
The existing EC policy on transfers says that all officers who are either posted in their home district or have completed three years at a place are transferred out ahead of the Lok Sabha or Assembly polls to ensure they do not disturb the level playing field in favour of a candidate or a party.
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The poll body, in a statement on Saturday, said it took “serious note” of cases in which officers were being transferred to adjacent districts within the same parliamentary constituency by the State governments.
By tweaking the existing policy, “...the commission has strengthened its existing transfer policy to ensure that officials are not able to disturb the level playing field in the elections,” the EC said.
The commission has directed that, except for the States and Union Territories that comprise up to two parliamentary constituencies, all States shall ensure that officers who are transferred out of the district are not posted within the same parliamentary constituency, the EC said.
The policy “must be adhered to in both letter and spirit and not just being camouflaged to show compliance”, the EC told the States, adding that the commission had a zero-tolerance policy towards officials who disturb the level playing field in elections.
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The commission said the rule applied to transfers that have already been ordered in accordance with the EC’s prior instructions.
In the recently held Assembly elections in five States, the commission had ordered the transfer of various officials, including top police officers.
