Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Journalism of Courage
Premium
This is an archive article published on May 31, 2023
Unprecedented, says Mamata Banerjee as Governor sits on nod to TMC govt’s SEC nominee
After the Governor returned Sinha's nomination, the state government proposed Additional Chief Secretary Ajit Ranjan Bardhan for the SEC's post. The Governor, however, is yet to give his approval to Bardhan's name.
Listen to this article
Unprecedented, says Mamata Banerjee as Governor sits on nod to TMC govt’s SEC nominee
x
00:00
In what may lead to yet another face-off between the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal and Governor CV Ananda Bose, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday took a swipe at Bose, claiming that the delay on part of the Raj Bhavan in approving their nominee for the post of the State Election Commissioner (SEC) was “unprecedented”.
The state government had sent a name for the post to the Governor days before the incumbent State Election Commissioner Sourav Das retired on May 28. Bose last Tuesday sent back the government’s proposal for the appointment of former state chief secretary Rajiv Sinha as the new SEC.
After the Governor returned Sinha’s nomination, the state government proposed Additional Chief Secretary Ajit Ranjan Bardhan for the SEC’s post. The Governor, however, is yet to give his approval to Bardhan’s name.
Banerjee said on Tuesday, “It is a fact that Das retired and we have no SEC. This is for the first time that such a thing has happened. Let us hope that good sense will prevail. I will not bow before anyone.”
“The panchayat elections are around the corner. I am requesting the Governor’s Office to release the files at the earliest. How will the polls be conducted without the SEC?” she asked.
There is speculation that the Raj Bhavan wants a third name to be added to the panel. In response to questions by mediapersons, the CM said, “If the Governor wants another name, he can say it”.
Bose, earlier in the day declined to comment on the issue, saying, “The right decision will be taken at the right time.”
Story continues below this ad
Das’s term as SEC had ended on March 28 but he was given a two-month extension by the government.
Rajiv Sinha, currently posted as the chairman of West Bengal Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBIIDC), served as the state chief secretary from September 2019 to September 2020.
A senior government official said, “The state government tried to convince the Governor on its nominees but he did not budge. Chief Secretary Hari Krishna Dwivedi also went the Raj Bhavan and explained everything to the Governor, but to no avail. But we are hopeful that the issue will be resolved in a week.”
The State Election Commission is mandated to conduct elections for urban local bodies and panchayats in the state.
PTI inputs
Advertisement
Loading Recommendations...
Advertisement