Andhra Pradesh EC writes to CS demanding transfer of another IAS officer

VIJAYAWADA: Close on the heels of issuing censure proceedings against two senior IAS officers -- Gopala Krishna Dwivedi and Girija Shankar -- State Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar yet again wrote a letter to Chief Secretary Aditya Nath Das on Friday, asking him to transfer another senior IAS officer Praveen Prakash, currently working as Principal Secretary to Chief Minister. 

In the letter to CS, he invoked his plenary power under Article 246 (read with Article 324) to transfer Praveen Prakash with a view to ensure free and fair elections. Praveen Prakash is banned during the course of election to have interaction with district collectors and superintendents of police and any officer directly or indirectly dealing with matters relating to the elections, the SEC said. 

At the same time, the SEC also shot off a letter to Governor Biswa Bhushan Harichandan complaining that YSRC MP Vijaya Sai Reddy has violated the Model Code of Conduct and also sought action against advisor (public affairs) to the government Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, Municipal Administration Minister Botcha Satyanarayana and Panchayat Raj Minister Peddireddy for their alleged comments against him. 

He wanted the Governor to restrain the powers that be in the government from making any political comments. SEC letters to the Chief Secretary and Governor evoked severe criticism from the ruling YSRC leaders.  In the letter, the SEC said he wanted to approach the court over the YSRC leaders' comments, but before that wanted to warn them through the Governor.