In a rude shock to Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu just five days before the polling, Election Commission of India on Friday night transferred chief secretary Anil Chandra Punetha.
Punetha will be replaced by another senior IAS officer L V Subrahmanyam, who has been presently working as special chief secretary of youth services and culture.
Punetha has been asked to keep away from election duties and hand over the charge to Subrahmanyam on Saturday morning.
Punetha will be shifted to a non-focal post till the election process is completed on May 23.
Subrahmanyam is said to be a close confidant of former chief minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy and was even booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the quid pro quo case of YSR Congress party chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.
It may be mentioned that Punetha openly defied the orders of EC on March 26, transferring director general of police (Intelligence) A B Venkateshwara Rao along with two superintendents of police – A Venkata Ratnam of Srikakulam and Rahul Dev Sharma of Kadapa, following a complaint from YSRC.
Though Punetha initially issued orders transferring the intelligence chief and two SPs, later, he modified the orders removing Venkateshwar Rao from the list of transfers.
He even issued another GO, stating that intelligence chief does not fall under the EC purview. This has angered the commission, sources said.
