Amethi:
A controversy broke out on Monday evening over the transfer of a poll official, an IAS officer, who allegedly stopped a motorcycle rally of Congress campaigner and Priyanka Gandhi's husband Robert Vadra in Amethi on the charge of violating the model code of conduct. However, the election commission has clarified that the transfer of the poll official, Pawan Sen, has nothing to do with Mr Vadra's convoy being stopped.
Mr Vadra was stopped by the authorities while heading towards Salon area of the Amethi district in Uttar Pradesh for using more vehicles against the permitted number of ten bikes, District Magistrate JP Gupta said. But the poll panel says the transfer has nothing to do with the incident and the officer won't be relieved till the election is over.
(Watch: 'There's always a push for me to join politics')Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) S Y Quraishi said the transfer of Pawan Sen, IAS officer of 2005 batch, was not linked to the incident and his shift to Goa, which too goes to assembly poll, has been put on hold till February 19 when Amethi goes to polls in the third phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh.
Following the controversy over Mr Sen's transfer, the Election Commission said, "This decision has been baselessly linked to certain enforcement action taken by the particular officer in his capacity as an election observer in an incident involving Shri Robert Vadra. The officer acted in accordance with the law and fully in conformity with the instructions of ECI."
"The decision to post Shri Sen as the District Election Officer in South Goa was in process for a week, based on the need to replace the present DEO in that district...Sen was found most suitable for the post and his appointment was accordingly ordered by the Commission well before the incident in CSM Nagar district took place."
Mr Quraishi said the Election Commission wants free and fair polls and Mr Sen was transferred to South Goa, as he belongs to the Goa cadre.
"To avoid misinterpretation by some mischievous people, we have since kept on hold his transfer. He will be relieved from his election observer duty only after the polls are over on February 19", he added.
He said when a poll panel team had visited Goa last week, it had received complaints that the South Goa Collector may not be neutral and "the only IAS officer available to us is this chap Mr Sen. So, we decided since we have so many observers in UP, we can use another observer".
"This transfer was done in the morning and we would not know what is going to happen in the evening. So, linking it up is a very stupid thing to do for anybody," the CEC said.
(With inputs from PTI)