BJP demands removal of Chief Secretary from election process

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded the removal of the Chief Secretary of the state, Usha Sharma, from the entire election process. In this regard, a memorandum has been submitted to the Chief Election Officer Praveen Gupta. He said that even after the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct, the Chief Secretary is working as the government’s representative. The representatives’ team, led by Opposition Leader Rajendra Rathore, stated that as per the directions issued from time to time by the Election Commission, officers whose service tenure has been extended cannot be involved in any election-related work. During the election period in Rajasthan, the Chief Secretary plays a significant role in complying with the Model Code of Conduct. The Screening Committee formed by the Election Commission has given full control to the Chief Secretary as the Chairman. Various department officials are also included in this committee.
He said that the Chief Secretary Usha Sharma is a government-appointed officer due to her extension, which is why there is a possibility that she may not work impartially and favour the political party in power, causing her decisions made after the Model Code of Conduct was implemented to be considered null and void. For this, the BJP delegation will soon submit a memorandum to the Chief Election Commissioner of India.
Rathore criticised the Congress government, stating that in the state, the government started the Anna Poorna ration kit plan, the gas cylinder subsidy plan, and the smartphone plan for women by allocating a budget for only three months. As a result, all these schemes have been discontinued. He said that the reason for discontinuing these schemes is not a violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
In the delegation that submitted the memorandum to the Chief Election Officer, along with Rathore, was Narayan Pancharya, the convener of the Election Management Committee, State Vice President Shravan Singh Bagdi, Deputy Convener of the Election Management Committee Rajendra Singh Shekhawat, and State Spokesperson Laxmikant Bhardwaj.