Fresh Raj Bhavan-Bengal govt tussle brewing over appointment of SEC

Kolkata, May 23 (SocialNews.XYZ) A fresh tussle seems to be brewing between the Raj Bhavan and the state secretariat over the appointment of the new state election commissioner (SEC) in West Bengal.

Sources in the state government said that although the name of former West Bengal Chief Secretary and retired IAS officer Rajiva Sinha has been forwarded to the office of Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, the latter is yet to clear the file.

"Sinha's name was forwarded on May 18. However, instead of clearing the file, the Governor's House has sent some queries about the service period of the retired Chief Secretary," a senior state government official said on condition of anonymity.

The term of the current state election commissioner ends on May 29. In such a situation, state government sources said that the appointment of his replacement is necessary considering the panchayat elections in West Bengal scheduled this year.

Political observers feel that another round of tussle between the state government and the Raj Bhavan is inevitable unless the Governor sends back the with his consent.

On Monday, after taking objection to the reluctance on the part of the vice-chancellors of different state universities in submitting weekly reports to the Raj Bhavan despite clear instructions from the Governor's House, the Special Secretary to the Governor had forwarded a letter to the VCs of all state universities to do the needful.

State Education Minister Bratya Basu had objected to the letter, saying that he will discuss the matter with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee before chalking out the next course of legal action.

Source: IANS