EC orders transfer of officials in poll-bound states

The Election Commission today directed the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur where assembly polls are due next year, to transfer all officers who have completed three years in a district as part of its efforts to ensure a free and fair elections.
No officer connected with elections, directly or indirectly, should be allowed to continue in the present district of posting if she or he is posted in home district or home district of spouse and has completed three years in that district during the last four years, the EC said in an order to the state governments.

For the past several years, it has become a standard practice for the Commission to order transfer of officials to ensure free and fair polls.
The Commission has followed a consistent policy to ensure that officers, who are connected with the conduct of elections in states, do not serve in their home districts or places where they have served for long, it said.