HYDERABAD: The Election Commission of India has appointed Saroj Thakur, an IPS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, as police observer for the Dubbaka Assembly byelection in Telangana. This follows a complaint by the BJP that the police were acting in a partisan manner in the run-up to the byelection.
The BJP had alleged that the TRS was resorting to unethical practices of using the police force to hide money in residences of BJP sympathisers and then raiding them contending that it was meant for distribution to voters.
The discovery of Rs 18.65 lakh in the BJP candidate's relative's house set off a rash of protests by the BJP which alleged that it was a conspiracy hatched by the TRS and sought the appointment of a police observer to oversee the functioning of policemen on poll duty.
The Election Commission said that Saroj Thakur was appointed in exercise of the powers conferred by Article 324 of the Constitution of India and section 208 of the Representation of the People Act, 1961.