Kozhikode District Collector P B Salim has been given additional charge of Kannur on the Election Commission’s directive to shift the incumbent following complaints of irregularities in the voters list for the November 7 by-election.
Official sources here said Salim’s name was recommended by the EC from the panel of names of three officials submitted by state Chief Secretary Neela Gangadharan.
The EC had on Friday directed the government to shift V K Balakrishnan after examining a complaint of the Congress-led UDF as well as official and media reports.
The UDF had alleged that the collector and a section of officials in Kannur had failed to act impartially in rectifying “flaws” in the voters list for bypolls.
It had complained that a large number of new voters were enrolled at the initiative of the CPI(M), which was fighting a hard battle to capture the seat.
The Congress has put up former CPI(M) MP A B Abullakutty as its candidate against LDF’s M V Jayarajan.
