VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Nov 2: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has once again asked the chief electoral officer of Jharkhand to remove Deoghar Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri as the district election officer.
In the letter dated October 31st the ECI has suggested names of two officials to replace Manjunath Bhajantri. However, he will continue to function as the Deputy Commissioner of Deoghar
The ECI in the letter stated that there is a complaint against him in the process of updating the voters’ list of Deoghar. “In view of the above, it is requested that the proposal for designating or nominating an officer as district election officer may be resubmitted after due consultation with the state government,” the letter reads.
BJP’s Godda MP Nishikant Dubey had lodged a complaint to the ECI on August 23 against the DC. He stated that the updating of the voters’ list in the Deoghar district of Jharkhand is taking place in contravention of the decisions of the ECI hence the entire exercise is illegal.
In the letter, Nishikant Dubey pointed out that the ECI in 2021 had dismissed Manjunath Bhajantri in his capacity as the District Election Officer because of the blatant misuse of power via illegal means for immoral reasons.
“The said individual, however, has been carrying the exercise of updating voters list in Deoghar and has violated the decision of the Commission showing disdain about the constitutional and administrative set-up of the nation,” the letter reads.
The ECI had also made an inquiry from the office of the chief electoral officer of Jharkhand reasons if the ECI order was not executed.
The dispute between Godda MP and Deoghar DC has been going on for the last one and half years. Nishikant Dubey alleged the DC for implicating him in false cases. The dispute erupted after an FIR was lodged against Nishikant Dubey, MP Manoj Tiwari, and others for forcefully taking clearance from Air Traffic Control (ATC) for take-off from the Deoghar airport on August 31.
