Vijay Wadettiwar Welcomes Election Commission's Decision to Transfer DGP Rashmi Shukla Ahead of Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024

Maharashtra's Leader of the Opposition and Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar expressed support on Monday for the Election Commission's decision to transfer Rashmi Shukla, the DGP of Maharashtra. He stated that the ruling Mahayuti government's attempts to manipulate the electoral process have been thwarted. “We welcome this decision of the Election Commission. What compelled the Mahayuti government to appoint her? Why grant her an extension? It was aimed at ensuring elections were not transparent, allowing them to win through discrepancies. Those intentions have now been foiled. Pawar Sahab also voiced similar concerns, and we had sent two letters regarding this matter,” Wadettiwar remarked.

Earlier on the same day, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and allies from the MVA coalition, including Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress, also praised the Election Commission's directive to immediately transfer DGP Rashmi Shukla. The Commission acted on complaints from various political parties, instructing the Maharashtra chief secretary to hand over Shukla’s responsibilities to the next senior-most IPS officer. The chief secretary was further tasked with providing a panel of three IPS officers by Tuesday afternoon for the appointment of a new DGP.

As Maharashtra prepares for elections on November 20, the Election Commission's decision comes just two weeks before the polls. The Opposition, led by the Congress, had raised concerns about Shukla's perceived bias towards the ruling Mahayuti alliance, asserting that fair elections would not be feasible under her leadership. The Chief Secretary, Sujata Saunik, has been directed to transfer Shukla's duties promptly, and a panel of potential successors is to be submitted soon. Rashmi Shukla, an IPS officer from the 1988 batch, made history as the first woman to serve as Maharashtra's police chief, previously holding the position of Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal.