Two weeks ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Election Commission (EC) has ordered the transfer of Maharashtra’s Director General of Police (DGP), Rashmi Shukla, following allegations of bias towards the ruling Mahayuti alliance. Opposition parties, led by the Congress, raised concerns that Ms. Shukla’s role could compromise fair election conduct if she remained in office.

Acting on the complaints from INC and other parties, Election Commission of India orders transfer of Rashmi Shukla, DGP Maharashtra with immediate effect with directions to Chief Secretary to hand over her charge to the next senior most IPS officer in the cadre. The Chief… pic.twitter.com/DqocropZo0

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— ANI (@ANI) November 4, 2024

Election Commission Steps In

The EC directed Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik to immediately replace Ms. Shukla with the next seniormost IPS officer and submit a panel of three names by the next day to appoint a new DGP. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar previously stressed the importance of non-partisan behavior among officials to maintain public confidence in a fair electoral process.

Opposition’s Allegations of Bias and Phone Tapping

Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) have repeatedly accused Ms. Shukla of favoring the ruling alliance. Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP, alleged that during the 2019 government formation, Ms. Shukla, then the Director General of State Intelligence, engaged in unauthorized phone tapping of opposition leaders to aid BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis. Raut questioned Ms. Shukla’s impartiality in overseeing a fair election, stating, “Can we expect her to conduct fair elections?”

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Nana Patole, Maharashtra Congress chief, also appealed for her transfer, citing a rise in political violence against opposition parties and alleging a “clear bias” from Ms. Shukla. He highlighted her record of “illegal phone tapping” during her tenure in both Pune and the State Intelligence Department.

Congress Welcomes the Transfer

Vijay Wadettiwar, Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly, welcomed the transfer, accusing the ruling coalition of attempting to influence election outcomes by extending Ms. Shukla’s tenure. He stated, “It became clear today that the coalition government was being dishonest… She was given an extension to prevent a transparent election.”

Rashmi Shukla’s Tenure and Background

An IPS officer from the 1988 batch, Ms. Shukla was the first woman to serve as Maharashtra’s DGP and previously held the position of Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). The 288-seat Maharashtra Assembly will hold elections on November 20, with vote counting scheduled for November 23.

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