New Delhi, 27 Feb 2024
Election commission of India issued letter to clarify guidelines about the transfer and posting of officers during the 2024 General Election to the House of the People (Lok Sabha). This ensures fairness and neutrality in the election process.
Specific Instructions:
Officers who have completed 3 years during the last 4 years in the same Parliamentary Constituency or in any of the districts that the constituency covers must be transferred. This applies to:
District Election Officers (DEOs)
Deputy DEOs
Returning Officers (ROs)
Assistant Returning Officers (AROs)
Police Officers (Range ADGs, IGs, DIGs, SSPs, SPs, Addl. SPs, Dy. SPs, Circle Officers or equivalent)
A key point is that ROs and AROs should not be posted in a Parliamentary Constituency that includes their Home District.
States/Union Territories with up to 5 Parliamentary Constituencies are exempt from this transfer requirement.
Delhi 23-02-2024
LOK SABHA ELECTION 2024: ਚੋਣ ਕਮਿਸ਼ਨ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਰਾਜਾਂ/ਕੇਂਦਰ ਸ਼ਾਸਿਤ ਪ੍ਰਦੇਸ਼ਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਅਧਿਕਾਰੀਆਂ ਦੇ ਤਬਾਦਲਿਆਂ ਸਬੰਧੀ ਗਾਈਡਲਾਈਨਜ਼ ਜਾਰੀ
Taking serious note of the cases wherein officers are being
transferred/posted in the adjacent districts within the same Parliamentary
Constituency by the state governments, the Commission has strengthened its
existing transfer policy to ensure that officials are not able to disturb the level
playing field in the elections.
Plugging the loopholes in the existing instructions, the Commission has directed
that, except for the States/UTs that comprise up to two Parliamentary
Constituencies, all States shall ensure that officers who are transferred out of the
district are not posted within the same Parliamentary Constituency.
It has been reiterated that the transfer policy of the Commission must be adhered
to in both letter and spirit and not just being camouflaged to show compliance.
This rule applies retrospectively to transfers and postings that have already been
implemented in accordance with the Commission's prior instructions.
As per ECI Policy, all the officers who were either posted in their home district or
have completed three years at a place have been directed to be transferred. This
includes officers who are in any way connected to the election work either directly
or in supervisory capacity.
There has been a Zero Tolerance policy of the Commission against disturbing the
level playing field in the elections. It may be recalled that in the recently held 5
state assembly elections, the Commission ordered transfer of various officials,
even senior level police officials in the state(s).
