Why ECI transferred 13 cops, IAS officers, 4 collectors ahead of Telangana election

Hyderabad: As many as 3,175 multiple voter entries or duplicate entries were found in a draft containing a list of voter names from the Bahadurpura Assembly constituency by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).

In a letter addressed to the additional commissioner, dated September 25, the electoral registration officer (ERO) raised the issues claiming that multiple voter entries have been found in 127 designated locations. This has raised concerns among the political parties that bogus voters are being enrolled in the name of voter enrolment. This was one of the several complaints that reached the Election Commission office.

'Duplicate voters' in the electoral list and `blatant misuse of money power' and unsatisfied answers by collectors and police chiefs, triggered the Election Commission to order a major administrative reshuffle in Telangana ahead of the November 30 election.

Major Transfers

On October 11, the EC transferred 13 top cops, four collectors, one IAS, and two officers in Telangana, as ECI found laxity in their work. They include Hyderabad Police Commissioner C.V Anand, Warangal Commissioner A V Ranganath, and Nizamabad police chief V Satyanarayana. The list of Superintendent of police includes Sanga Reddy- M Ramana Kumar, Kama Reddy - B Srinivas Reddy, Jagityal - A Bhaskar, Mahbubnagar- K Narasimha, Nagarkurnool- K Manohar, Jogulamba Gadwal- K Srujana, Mahbubabad- G Chandramohan, Narayanpet- N Venkateshwarulu, Jayashankar Bhupalapally- P Karunakar and Suryapet- Rajender Prasad. While, the four Collectors transferred are from districts- Rangareddy- S Harish, Medchal Malkajgiri- D Amoy Kumar, Yadadri Bhuvangiri- Vinay Krishna Reddy, Nirmal- Varun Reddy.

Commissioner of Excise and Prohibition- IAS officer Md Musharraf Ali Faruqui who was recently posted, has been transferred. In an official communication, the ECI said, "They (transferred officials) should not be assigned to any election works till completion of state election 2023. The Chief Secretary is asked to furnish a panel of 3 IPS officers for the CPs and SPs by 5 PM -12th October 2023".

What went wrong?

The Election Commission maintains a state record on voter enrollment, deletion, new voters, and seizure of cash, liquor, contraband, and precious metals. A district collector who is in charge of a district election officer is duty-bound to provide information on voters and the district superintendent of police or commissioner on the seizer, respectively. The performances of the transferred officers have been under review for the last 90 days. When the ECI raised several questions on the voters' enrollment, deletion, and seizure, a majority of the Superintendent of Police was halted for poor performances. Their answers were unreasonable, a top source told NewsMeter.

Speaking to NewsMeter, an officer on condition of anonymity explained: "Earlier, the newspaper headlines a day after the elections would highlight the poll violence. However, the incidents of poll clashes drastically dropped. Political parties and candidates subsequently understood that it is not violence but bribes that can buy voters. Hence the flow of cash, gifts, and liquor increased around elections. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are known for their expensive election funding. At a time when voters are being misled and there are complaints, how can a district police chief show zero seizure."

The EC found that the performance of some officers was "unsatisfactory" and they were found "complacent, if not complicit" in various matters, including the illegal supply of liquor as a possible poll inducement.

When the Election Commission asked pertinent questions to the above-transferred cops, the answers were marked unsatisfactory. "Contraband enters Telangana from Goa, passing through districts like Mahbubnagar. Why district SP of Mahabubnagar did not report any seizure of banned substances? The same contraband reached Hyderabad and was further transported to Maharastra. And when the trail of drugs was busted by agencies in Maha, It was found that it traveled via Mahbubnagar. In such a case why the borders were left porus and unchecked" added the officer. After assessing the performance and relevant inputs, they were transferred.

The state machinery has been under watch since June 2023. Sample this: EC also reviewed complaints of each house comprising more than 6 voters. The voter list was not properly sanitized. For instance, in Nampally, Serilingapally, Bahadurpura, Goshamahal, and others, there were many discrepancies in the voter list. A house in Serilingampally had more than 15 voters and no inspection was conducted. In Bahadurpura, one house comprising 100 voters was registered.

The election commission has received multiple complaints from civil society members for its failure to enroll authentic voters. However, joint chief election officer Sarfaraz Ahmad clarified there is no question of deletion of authentic voter names. The EC stated that they have followed the standard operating procedure to delete bogus voters. Ahmed said, “Efforts are being made to ensure that there are no bogus voters added to the electoral roll. We are also asking the field officers to carry out house-to-house verification.”

What EC said in its transfer order?

PTI quoting sources said there were large-scale complaints regarding blatant misuse of money power during the recent by-election to the Munugode assembly seat in Telangana. The commission also ordered the removal of the transport secretary, Commissioner of prohibition and excise, and the commissioner of commercial tax in Telangana. The Telangana government has been directed to also appoint a separate principal secretary for the Excise and Commercial Tax Department given the rigorous work required during the elections. Earlier, the Telangana chief secretary was holding the additional charge of the department.