In a major reshuffle of IAS and IPS officers holding crucial posts in the election process, deputy commissioners of three districts, who are also district election officers, three additional DEOs in Bengaluru city, police commissioners of two commissionarates and a superintendent of police have been transferred by the State government.
The transfers will take immediate effect and has been done as per the directions of the Election Commission of India.
Of the three districts to get new deputy commissioners is Mysuru, which has Chamundeshwari constituency where Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is in the midst of a high-pitched electoral battle. In Mysuru, Darpan Jain will replace K.B. Shivakumar. Similarly, R. Vishal will replace Mohan Raj K.P. in Tumakuru, while Anirudh Sravan P. will replace H.R. Mahadev in Bidar district.
In the crucial electoral battleground in Bengaluru, three additional district electoral officers (ADEO) have been replaced. Pommala Sunil Kumar will replace Vasanthi Amar as ADEO of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)- North; Nitesh Patil will replace Vishwanath as ADEO BBMP South; and Nalini Atul will replace M.V. Savithri as ADEO BBMP Central.
Senior IAS officer Munish Moudgil will replace M. Manjunath Naik as Excise Commissioner and Naveen Raj Singh will be the new Transport Commissioner, both posts being crucial machinery in preventing election-related malpractices.
Police transfers
Among the six IPS officers transferred across the State, M. Chandrashekar will be the new Police Commissioner of Belagavi city, replacing D.C. Rajappa, while Vipul Kumar will take over as Police Commissioner Mangaluru city, replacing T.R. Suresh. C. Vamsi Krishna has been posted as new Superintendent of Police of Bagalkot district, replacing C.B. Ryshyanth.
Several Opposition parties had raised issues concerning posting of some officials and had sought Election Commission’s intervention in removing them.
