The West Bengal government has officially requested for an extension of the service of current Chief Secretary from the Union government, as BP Gopalika is officially scheduled to retire before the completion of the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, said sources in the state secretariat.
While Chief Secretary Gopalika is scheduled to retire on May 31, the last and seventh phase of Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal is scheduled for June 1 and the counting of votes will take place on June 5.
This means that the Chief Secretary will be retiring before the election process and counting are completed.
So in view of the emerging situation, his extension has been sought by the West Bengal government.
To recall, the state government had also sought the extension of Gopalika’s predecessor HK Dwivedi, which was approved by the Union government and HK Dwivedi was given an extension of six months.
However, sources in the state secretariat said this time the matter is a bit complicated considering that the Model Code of Conduct is in force and the extension will not be possible without the concurrence of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Second, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, has already requested the ECI to immediately replace BP Gopalika as the Chief Secretary, citing the same grounds of his retirement before the election process is completed.
Adhikari argued that Gopalika's replacement should be done by applying the same logic under which the 1988-batch Indian Police Service officer Vivek Sahay was replaced as the state Director General of Police within 24 hours of his selection to the post.
TRIPURA: Restriction imposed on sale of petrol, diesel as landslide hits Assam
As a massive landslide at Jatinga in Assam has hit the goods train movement to Tripura, the Tripura has imposed restrictions on sale of petrol and diesel.
Women perform rituals in Kali temple for rain amid heat wave
Amid the intense heat wave, the BJP MLA Antara Deb Sarkar, accompanied by hundreds of women on Wednesday performed rituals at a Kali temple in Sepahijala's Kamalasagar, seeking divine intervention for rains.
Hours after praising BJP nominee, Kunal Ghosh removed as Trinamool state General Secretary
Hours after Trinamool Congress’ state General Secretary Kunal Ghosh showered praises on Tapas Roy, the BJP candidate from Kolkata Uttar Lok Sabha constituency, the ruling party on Wednesday removed Ghosh from the post.
Salman Khan firing case: Accused gun supplier found hanging in Mumbai police lockup, declared dead
In a sensational development, Anuj Thapan, one of the prime accused in the firing at Salman Khan’s home, allegedly committed suicide in a Mumbai Police lockup on Wednesday, officials said.
Secretary of Tripura's prominent club shot dead, one arrested
Durga Prasanna Deb, Secretary of Bharat Ratna Sangha, a leading club and famous social body of Tripura was attacked by five assailants late Tuesday at Usha Bazar. The accused who has been nabbed was identified as Pradyut Dhar Chowdhury.
GST collections scale record high of Rs 2.1 lakh crore in April
The country's gross GST revenue collection for April this year soared to the highest ever level at Rs 2.10 lakh crore, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on Wednesday.
Govt cuts windfall tax on crude oil, ONGC, OIL India Ltd to gain
The Government has cut the windfall tax on crude oil to Rs 8,400 a metric ton from Rs 9,600 with effect from Wednesday as part of its fortnightly revision.
Major jolt to Congress in Delhi, Naseeb Singh & Neeraj Basoya quit party, blame AAP alliance
In a major setback to the Congress party, two of its leaders and observers for two Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, Neeraj Basoya and Naseeb Singh have resigned from the party.