GTA: ECI takes firm note of 'political appointees'

SANKHA GHOSH, SNS, SILIGURI. 24 MARCH 21 : Amid the Election Commission of India's (ECI) instructions to the West Bengal Chief Secretary to replace political appointees in civic bodies, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora today said that the chief electoral officer (CEO) of West Bengal has been asked to submit a detailed report on the functioning of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).

The state government had formed a nine-member Board of Administrators (BoA) to run the semi-autonomous body in September 2017, with leader of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha Binoy Tamang as the Chairman, while later another Morcha leader Anit Thapa replaced Mr Tamang as the chief of the Board. Since then, the state government has been extending the term of the BoA. The last such extension of the Board came in February this year when another six months were added to the term.

Talking to reporters here today, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora said, "We have already asked the chief election officer of the state to send a detailed report (on the GTA) to deputy election commissioner Sudeep Jain by tomorrow." "Today morning also, when we talked with the chief secretary, we asked him to take similar action at the state level. We have discussed this issue."

The full bench of the ECI led by Mr Arora yesterday held a review meeting in Siliguri with eight north Bengal districts "physically" and 11 more districts "virtually" over the election preparedness. Divisional commissioners, the inspector general. deputy inspector general of police, district election officers (district magistrates) and superintends of police attended the meeting.

According to Mr Arora, in order to ensure level playing field during the elections, "political appointees" holding office of head of boards of administration in municipal corporations of West Bengal beyond their elected term have been curtailed from exercising functions of the board during the Model Code of Conduct period.

Asked if the EC had discussed Morcha leader Bimal Gurung in the meeting, who is facing a murder charge, the CEC said: "We try to share a lot of things with you (media), but we are not supposed to share what we have discussed in the closed doors."

Mr Gurung , who had surfaced in Kolkata on 21 October last year after going in hiding for over three years, announced his support to the Trinamul Congess in the ensuing Assembly elections.

The state government had started a process to withdraw the several cases registered against him. He has also been booked in connection with the death of sub-inspector of police Amitava Mallik during the violent agitation in 2017.