Will first woman chief secy be removed just to accommodate Shinde’s nominee, asks Cong

MUMBAI: The opposition has slammed the state government over a reported move to appoint chief secretary Sujata Saunik as state election commissioner (SEC) to make way for the appointment of additional chief secretary I S Chahal in her place. The Congress has questioned whether it is being done to facilitate Chahal’s appointment to the top post with the help of a close confidant of chief minister Eknath Shinde.
Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant has put up a post on X demanding to know from the state government if a developer close to Shinde has been intervening in the matter. “Did A, the close aide of the CM, get in touch with Sujata Saunik to convince her to take up the post of chief of SEC? At national level, it’s A1 and A2 and in the state, it is ‘double A’ – the scheme being implemented to facilitate friends. The unconstitutional interference is unacceptable. Everybody knows how IAS officer V Radha was transferred recently. Now, there is a lot of pressure on the CS and it shows how the administration is in trouble. Has the state been given as gift to the developer friend? The CM should reply,” said Sawant in the post.
His remarks come in the backdrop of a race among IAS officers for the post of State Election Commission, which will fall vacant on the completion of the 5-year term by retired IAS officer UPS Madan. Retired IAS officers Manoj Saunik, Nitin Kareer and Shrikant Deshpande, serving IAS officers Rajiv Jalota and Rajgopal Devara, and a few forest officers are on the list. However, Sujata Saunik is reportedly not very keen and has not applied for the post as yet.
Saunik became first woman chief secretary on June 30 and her term is till May 31, 2025, when she will complete 60 years. If she is appointed as state election commissioner, she will get a 5-year term in the commission.