Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a circular to the chief secretaries of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Pudhucherry, West Bengal and Assam the five poll-bound states asking the top officials to ensure the transfer of all IAS, IPS and important officials who had served for more than three years in their existing posts. 

Tamil Nadu, one among the five states, Chief Secretary K Shanmugham and chief electoral officer Sathyabrata Sahoo were copied, the circular read that to ensure free and fair elections to the legislative assemblies there is a need for effective transfer of officers who have completed three years and no officer should be posted in their native district, the communication read. ECI also directed the chief secretaries and CEO’s not to assign any poll duty for officials who are due for retirement within six months.

The commission also noted that that the officials who are facing disciplinary actions recommended by the election commission or those who had earlier indulged in any poll duty lapse are not eligible to designate for poll duty. The circular asks to transfer the officials who will be completing three years on or before May 31, 2021, in an election-related post. The copy issued by the ECI also exempted the officers who were recommended for transfers by the commission during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The Tamil Nadu state government had so far transferred more than 50 IAS and IPS officers in the past two months including district collectors and district superintendent of police of more than 20 districts. 

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