SRINAGAR: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a resolute directive to state governments and Union Territories, emphasising the imperative implementation of transfer policies both in essence and execution.
The Election Commission of India has asked state governments to ensure that officials transferred out of a district after serving three years are not posted in another district within the same parliamentary constituency.
This latest decree by the ECI seeks to address a prevailing issue wherein officers, upon completion of their tenure, are frequently shuffled to adjacent districts within the same Parliamentary Constituency by state authorities.
To counteract such circumvention of the spirit of the transfer policy, the Commission has mandated strict adherence to its provisions, retroactively applying them to previously executed transfers and postings.
The Commission has clarified that exceptions to this mandate are granted only to states and Union Territories encompassing up to two Parliamentary Constituencies.
However, for larger constituencies, the directive remains unequivocal: no officer completing their tenure shall be stationed within the same electoral boundary.
Underpinning this directive is the ECI’s steadfast commitment to maintaining a level playing field in electoral proceedings.
Notably, the policy extends to all officers tangentially involved in election-related duties, whether in a direct capacity or supervisory role. By enforcing this regulation, the Commission aims to curb any potential biases or undue influences that may arise from prolonged officer tenures in specific districts.
