Election Commission refused permission to appoint AIDS staff

March 21, 2004

EC directs state to remove three DMs. TIMES NEWS NETWORK [sATURDAY, MARCH 20,

2004 03:04:10 AM]

PATNA: The Election Commission (EC) on Friday directed the state government to

remove three district magistrates (DMs), including that of Saran, in view of

their doubtful roles in rationalisation of polling booths in the districts

concerned.

The three DMs concerned are Baidyanath Mishra of Saran, Santosh Kumar Mal of

Jehanabad and Brajesh Mehrotra of Gaya .

The EC directive was received here on Friday in which the government has been

asked to make suitable replacements so that election process is conducted in the

districts concerned without vitiation of atmosphere, sources said.

The EC directive is being considered as a pointer to its concern about the

election process in the state. Incidentally, Chief Election Commissioner T V

Krishnamurthy is slated to visit the state on March 25.

He will hold talks here with officials concerned next day before departing for

Jharkhand the same day.

Interestingly, the three parliamentary seats of Chhapra (Saran), Jehanabad and

Gaya were won by NDA constituents in the last polls. Complaints of large-scale

irregularities in rationalisation of polling booths in the three districts had

been made in the past.

The EC's concern about Chhapra has also gained significance in view of the fact

that RJD supremo Laloo Prasad Yadav is slated to contest from there, while the

seat was held by civil aviation minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy in the dissolved Lok

Sabha.

Earlier, too, the EC had sought removal of Chhapra SP Sarukh Mazid because he

held the post reserved for IPS officers.

He held the rank of DSP in the state police service and the office of Accountant

general had stopped clearing his salary bill against the post of SP. The

government had given him the charge of SP.

Meanwhile, the EC has refused permission to Bihar State Aids Control Society

(BSACS) to appoint staff, including officers, for its Kishanganj project aimed

at empowerment of women to enable them to avoid HIV and AIDS.

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