Mumbai:Maharashtra cabinet on Thursday approved a proposal of giving all power to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in connection with the appointment of Commissioner of State Election Commission (SEC). The filling of the post is crucial ahead of local bodies election in Maharashtra.
The appointment of the SEC chief is seen as a move for the preparation of location bodies election. The development comes amid the call given by the BJP leadership to come to power from panchayat to the Parliament. On last Sunday, even Mr. Fadnavis had stated that the election of local bodies will be held in the next three to four months.�
The appointment of Commissioner of SEC assumes a political significance as it is lying vacant since September 2024. The SEC is responsible for conducting elections of local bodies including civic corporations. The front runners for the coveted post are retired veteran bureaucrat Rajiv Jalota, retired chief secretary Dr. Nitin Kareer, and incumbent additional chief secretary (ACS) of planning department Dr. Rajagopal Devara. The new SEC commissioner is likely to be appointed by next week.�
A senior official from Mantralaya said that the GAD (general administration department) has received 12 names including four IPS officers for the post. The names include Mr. Jalota, Mr. Kareer, Mr. Devara , ACS of medical education, Dinesh T. Waghmare, retired IAS officer JP Gupta, retired IPS KK Sarangal among others.
The senior official said that since the Council of Ministers approved a proposal giving all powers to the chief minister, the chief minister is likely to write a single name and send the file to Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan for his consent. “The new commissioner is likely to be announced next week. Once the governor gives his consent, a notification of appointment of a new commissioner of SEC will be issued,” he said.�
Mr. Devara will be retiring in August 2025, if he is appointed, he will have to resign from the post, while Mr. Jalota retired from the post of chairman Mumbai Port Trust in September 2024.�
