Controversy over Ludhiana CP: ECI steps in

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has sought a panel of three officers from the Punjab Government for the appointment of a new Commissioner of Police (CP) in Ludhiana, following objections raised against the current incumbent, Swapan Sharma.

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The move comes in the wake of a formal complaint by former IAS officer and senior BJP leader Sucha Ram Ladhar, who questioned Sharma’s appointment to the sensitive post in an election-bound district. Ladhar contended that officers who were transferred during the Lok Sabha elections are not eligible to be posted in any constituency undergoing an election or by-election process, citing established ECI norms.

In his complaint, Ladhar wrote to both the Governor of Punjab and the ECI, urging intervention. “The appointment of Swapan Sharma as Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, is in direct violation of the ECI’s standard operating procedures. Once an officer is transferred during the conduct of elections, he or she is barred from holding any election-related post in the same or another election-bound district,” he stated.

While the ECI typically refrains from intervening in state administrative matters outside of active election periods, the declaration of by-election for the Ludhiana West Assembly constituency triggered the Election Commission’s jurisdiction. Subsequently, the ECI directed the Punjab Government to submit a panel of three eligible officers for consideration for the Ludhiana CP position.