 "BJP demands removal of Rajasthan chief secretary ahead of state polls")
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation in Rajasthan met with the state's chief electoral officer and demanded the removal of Chief Secretary Usha Sharma, citing concerns that her extended tenure might lead to favouritism towards the ruling Congress party in the upcoming assembly elections.
Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore stated that government officials with extended services should not be involved in election-related activities according to Election Commission guidelines. The BJP urged Sharma's immediate removal and questioned any decisions made by her after the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into force. The party plans to submit a similar memorandum to the chief election commissioner, Praveen Gupta.
"The Election Commission has from time to time issued directions stating that government officials whose services have been extended cannot be associated with any election-related work," Rathore told PTI after submitting the memorandum.
"Sharma has received benefit from the state government as it gave her an extension on the post, and there is a possibility that she can favour the Congress party and misuse her post," he added.
Rajasthan Assembly has 200 seats, all of which will go into polls on November 25. The counting of votes for Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Mizoram will be done on December 3. The Congress party has announced 76 candidates for the Rajasthan polls so far, re-nominating 29 sitting MLAs. BJP released the names of 124 nominees for the upcoming state polls.
A party requires 101 seats to form the government in Rajasthan. The last elections were held in 2018 when Congress formed the government with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and independent candidates.