Robert Vadra's bike rally in UP stopped, poll observer shifted

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A controversy broke out on Monday over the transfer of a poll observer, an IAS officer, who allegedly ordered the stopping of a motorcycle rally of Congress campaigner and Priyanka Gandhi's husband Robert Vadra on the charge of violating the model code of conduct.

Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi, however, maintained 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.

Vadra was stopped by the authorities while heading towards Salon area of the district for using more vehicles against the permitted number of ten bikes, District Magistrate J.P. Gupta said.

Sen had also ordered filing of an FIR against the local Congress candidate in the assembly poll.

Quraishi told the media that ‘today's incident is unrelated to the observer’s transfer. It has nothing to do with it. The Election Commission had during its meeting this morning decided that Sen be posted as Deputy Commissioner in South Goa, after complaints from various political parties about the conduct of the present DC in South Goa who was earlier the state chief minister’s Principal Secretary".

"We had decided to seek a panel from the state government and among the panel was Sen’s name – the other two being Secretaries to the chief minister and Governor.

"The EC in its meeting finalized his (Sen's) name in the morning today. The incident in which Robert Vadra was involved happened in the evening and had nothing to do with Sen’s transfer. Even the recommendation of FIR done by him was against the Congress candidate and not Vadra," Quraishi said.