New Delhi, 18 March

Seeking to ensure level-playing field in Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission on Monday ordered the removal of home secretaries of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, sources said. It also ordered the removal of the West Bengal director general of police, they added. Also, the secretary of the general administrative departments of Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh have been removed.

Days after announcing the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections, the poll panel under CEC Rajiv Kumar also ordered removal of Brihanmumbai Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, additional commissioners and deputy commissioners.

The commission had directed all the state governments to transfer officers connected with election-related work, who have completed three years or are in their home districts. Maharashtra had not complied with the directions in respect of few municipal commissioners and some additional and deputy municipal commissioners. While conveying displeasure to the state chief secretary, the commission directed transfer of BMC and the additional and deputy commissioners with the direction to report by 6pm on Monday.

The chief secretary was also directed to transfer all the similarly placed municipal commissioners and additional or deputy municipal commissioners of other corporations in Maharashtra.

The step is a part of the commission's efforts to maintain a level-playing field and ensure the integrity of the electoral process, which has been emphasised by CEC Kumar on several occasions. The move comes after the commission comprising CEC Kumar and fellow ECs Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu met here on Monday.