LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party (SP), which has emerged as the main challenger to the ruling BJP in the upcoming Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, has written to the Election Commission of India, on Sunday, seeking the removal of a few top bureaucrats of the state alleging that they have been functioning more as the BJP workers and are very close to the Uttar Pradesh dispensation.
The main opposition party has taken Additional Chief Secretary, home, Avanish Awasthi, Additional Chief Secretary, DIPR, Navneet Sehgal, UP ADG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar and Additional Director General and UP STF chief Amitabh Yash on target accusing them of acting as BJP karyakartas.
Through the letter, undersigned by party national secretary Rajendra Chaudhury, the party has sought the removal of these top bureaucrats calling it to be necessary to ensure free and fair elections in the state.
The Election Commission of India on January 8 announced the schedule for election to Legislative Assemblies of Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand. After the model code of conduct coming into effect, the main opposition has shot off the letter to the ECI.
Uttar Pradesh has 403 Assembly seats with 84 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and two for Scheduled Tribes. Additional Chief Secretary, home, Avanish Awasthi is believed to be quite close to
the CM Yogi Adityanath.
Besides helming the home department, Awasthi has also been supervising the expressway projects of the state as CEO UP Expressway and Industrial Development Authority (UPIEDA).
Additional Chief Secretary, Information, Navneet Sehgal has been brought to one of the most significant posts just 1.5 years back. Sehgal was believed to be very close to former CMs– Akhilesh and Mayawati -- during their respective regimes.
Initially, Sehgal was given comparatively insignificant assignments for the first three years of Yogi government but he came back to prominence after taking over as ACS, Information.
Sehgal is also looking after the MSME department which is behind the flagship scheme of One District One Product (ODOP) – very close to the heart of CM Yogi. Notably, Sehgal is known for remarkable media management of all three governments.
Seeking removal of police brass is seen as the usual practice followed by any opposition party. However, both ADG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar and UP STF chief Amitabh Yash are also considered quite close to the present dispensation.