NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday ordered the transfer of commissioner-cum-secretary of Mission Shakti department Sujata Karthikeyan to a non-public dealing department with immediate effect.
Sujata is the wife of 5T chairman and BJD leader VK Pandian, who is a close aide of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Sources in the ECI confirmed to The New Indian Express that the action was taken following a complaint regarding an alleged misuse of public office and authority by the officer.
Earlier in the day, the BJP had moved the poll panel accusing Sujata of misusing her position to influence voters through the Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme for electoral gains of BJD.
In its complaint, the BJP alleged the Mission Shakti department was being misused by the ruling dispensation to influence voters to vote for BJD in the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
As part of its charter of duty, the department promotes various women self-help groups (SHGs) and provides gainful activities to its members by providing credit, market linkage and other financial benefits, with a budget running into thousands of crores.
"The functionaries of the department have been compelling and coercing these SHGs with the threat of stopping the government's financial benefits, thus making them propagate and influence the voters. This is a brazen violation of the model code of conduct under the garb of SVEEP for reaching out to a wider population with its messages of voter awareness and education," the complaint read.
"It would have been fair and proper for her to understand the implications of her being the wife of Pandian and she should have proceeded on leave and disassociated herself from the public dealing duty during the elections. However, she is actively participating in the elections as a front person of the BJD in a manner which has been unheard of earlier," the complaint from the BJP read.
A delegation led by Union Minister Rajeev Chandershekhar, Rajya Sabha member Sudhanshu Trivedi and senior party leader Om Pathak met the poll panel, demanding immediate action to ensure free, fair and transparent elections.
Sujata could not be contacted for a comment.