Bengal Governor’s Press Secretary removed

MP | 16 July 2023 | Kolkata: Press Secretary to Governor CV Ananda Bose has been removed amidst State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha expressing his displeasure over his confidential messages meant for the Governor getting leaked in the media. 

Sinha had sent a report regarding the recently concluded Panchayat elections to the Governor through the latter’s ADC via WhatsApp. 

According to sources, the Governor’s Press Secretary Sekhar Banerjee has returned to his earlier position as Joint Director in the state Information & Cultural Affairs department. He had joined as the Governor’s Press Secretary in the third week of January. 

However, there has been no replacement for the post of Banerjee as yet, according to sources in the Raj Bhavan. “It is unfortunate that my report sent to the Governor is being accessed by the media,” Sinha said. 

Meanwhile, the report sent by SEC to the Governor states that all complaints received by the Commission have been duly addressed. Police stations have lodged FIRs, 252 arrests have been made and all the cases are being duly investigated. It further mentions that during the election period, 7,773 complaints were received by the Commission in its EGMS (election grievance management system), and approximately 711 complaints were received over the telephone from political parties and media. 

Plus, the complaints received by districts, sub-divisions and blocks have all been duly addressed. It mentions that the Raj Bhavan had sent to the SEC messages from time to time and also forwarded around 2,000 complaints on the poll day itself. 

Although these have been acknowledged, action taken by the SEC does not seem to be manifest in the field. 177 complaints/messages were received from Raj Bhavan via WhatsApp to the Commissioner. DMs (District Magistrates) were informed to intervene immediately and they did so in all the cases. 

Apart from these, the Commission received 494 mails from the Raj Bhavan and all complaints were redressed. The report further states that repolling took place in 696 booths and all of them were covered by Central paramilitary forces with a minimum of eight CAPF armed guards per booth. 

In addition, mobile units and state armed police, as per scale, were stationed at re-polling booths and in the area of concerned polling stations. All re-poll and polling stations were covered by CCTVs. 

“CAPF covered all 4,834 sensitive booths in districts during the repoll,” the report states, adding that all sensitive and vulnerable areas had the presence of CAPF and State Armed Police mobile units on the day before polling and on the polling day. According to the SEC’s report, during the election period, 22,421 persons were bound down under preventive sections of the law, 14,021 NBWs (non-bailable warrants) were executed, 25,318 licenced arms were deposited, 303 unlicensed arms and 1,919 explosives were seized since the model code of conduct came into force from June 9. 

It further states that as compared to the Panchayat elections in 2018, in the recent polls, “there has been increase in nominations by 42 per cent from 1.62 lakh to 2.31 lakh; withdrawal has been down from 23,619 (21 per cent) to 20,612 (9 per cent) of the valid nominations received. Contesting candidates’ numbers have gone up to 2.06 lakh from 1.15 lakh,” the report added. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/bengal-governors-press-secy-removed-525793