According to the detailed election program announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI), voting for the general elections of the country’s 18th Lok Sabha will be held on 10 Lok Sabha seats of Haryana state on May 25, 2024. Counting of votes will take place on June 4 while the entire election process will be completed by June 6. Amidst this, it came to fore that the experts raised questions over appointing an HCS (Haryana Civil Service) officer of 2014 batch as Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) for the Ambala Lok Sabha seat as his retirement is due on 31 May, 2014 and the same may affect the smooth and fair conduct of the forthcoming polls.
Divulging more details regarding aforesaid , an expert and Punjab and Haryana High Court advocate Hemant Kumar, who is a registered voter of Ambala Lok Sabha constituency, said that he has filed a complaint to the Election Commission of India seeking reasons to appoint Ambala (Reserved) Lok Sabha’s present Sub Divisional Officer (Civil) of Barara Sub Division posted in Mulana (Reserved) Assembly Constituency falling under this seat, i.e. Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Bijendra Singh, who is an HCS of 2014 batch (Haryana Civil Service) officer who has been designated one of the total nine Assistant Returning Officers (Assistant Returning Officers) for Ambala Lok Sabha seat by the Election Commission last month, it has been written to replace him because Bijendra will retire from the service of Haryana Government on 31 May 2024.
While the entire process of the upcoming Lok Sabha general elections will last on June 6, 2024. In this way Ambala Lok Sabha. In the election process of the seat, one such ARO’s Involvement who is about to retire from government service during the process itself is not right.
Further, he said that he has.correspondence with Haryana’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anurag Aggarwal, Chief Secretary Office of the State Government and Ambala LOC on this subject. A copy of the representation has also been sent to the Returning Officer (RO) of the seat and the DC of the district, Dr. Shaleen. Further, Hemant says that it is very surprising that if the state government was aware that the present district of Barara sub-division S.D.M. Bijendra Singh, who is Ambala LOC. SDM of Mulana assembly constituency falling under the seat. Being an ARO he is retiring from the service of the state government on 31 May 2024, then why was he not replaced from the said post in time i.e. before 16 March i.e. before the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct. However, now after the implementation of the code of conduct, with the approval of the Election Commission of India, a new SDM has been appointed in Barara sub-division of Ambala district can be deployed.
