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EC directive to Gujarat government

AHMEABAD: The Election Commission has issued a virtual ultimatum to the Gujarat government to appoint senior IPS officer, Satish Sharma, as the Ahmedabad joint commissioner of police, sector-1, by Sunday evening.

The order was issued on Saturday after the Chief Secretary, Manjula Subramaniam, who was summoned to appear before the EC on Sunday morning to explain the reasons for the delay in the appointment, expressed her inability to do so due to her indisposition.

The appointment of Mr Sharma in place of P.K. Jha, who was transferred under order of the EC because of his alleged close proximity to the Minister of State for Home Amit Shah, the BJP candidate for the Sarkhej seat falling under Ahmedabad sector-1, has become a major bone of contention between the Election Commission and the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi. The State government sources said though Mr Shah had cleared Mr Sharma’s appointment, at present posted as joint director, state anti-corruption bureau, to Ahmedabad sector-1, Mr. Modi was not signing the file for the last four days. Mr Sharma is believed to be not in the favoured list of Mr Modi because of his stern attitude towards the trouble-makers when he was earlier posted as the Ahmedabad joint commissioner soon after the 2002 communal riots.

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