AAP writes to Election Commission against appointments of Pune district collector Suhas Divse and Saurabh Rao

“Suhas Divse was appointed as the district collector of Pune on February 7. Before that, Divse had held important posts in Pune for over four years. This is a serious violation of the norms laid down by the Election Commission of India,” Vijay Kumbhar, AAP state vice-president and chief of the Surajya Sangharsh Samiti.

Kumbhar said that on December 21, 2023, the ECI sent to the state government norms regarding the transfer of officials. The ECI directed the government to transfer officials who had completed three years in one district.

“If the particular official has completed a three-year tenure and is not assigned work related to elections, then he can stay in the district. The EC has said that in future too such officials should not be given any work related to elections. This norm has been clearly violated by the state government while transferring Divse as sports commissioner and making him the district collector,” he said.

Kumbhar said that Divse had been in Pune for more than four years. “He will be overseeing the election work in four Lok Sabha constituencies as he will be the chief electoral officer,” he said.

The AAP accused the government of favouritism. “The officers who are junior to Divse and those who have completed three years all have been transferred out of Pune. But Divse, who has completed more than three years in Pune, has been allowed to stay put. This is a perfect example of discrimination as well,” he said.

Expressing dismay at the continuation of Saurabh Rao in Pune, Kumbhar said, “Rao has completed 12 consecutive years. He was first the PMC commissioner, then made district collector, then was appointed divisional commissioner and now has been made commissioner of cooperation and registrar of cooperative societies in Pune.”

“How can an officer who is not known for his good work continue in one district for 12 years? Who is he close to? Is Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar favouring him? What is so special about him? Puneites have never got to know about any of his achievements. He rarely even holds press conferences or interacts with journalists. Journalists often complain that he does not even take calls or respond. Why is such a do-nothing officer allowed to continue in Pune? The EC should ask the state government to transfer both Divse and Rao out of Pune,” he asked.

According to the AAP leader, officials close to powers-that-be are allowed to continue at one place for several years. “If the EC does not take action and cancel Divse’s and Rao’s appointments, we will be forced to approach the court,” he warned.

When contacted on their cellphones, both Divse and Rao refused to respond.