Telangana: Uncertainty reigns over shifting of CEO office to Secretariat

Hyderabad: The relocation of the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office from the current Buddha Bhavan at Tank Bund to the newly inaugurated Dr B.R. Ambedkar Secretariat office is fraught with uncertainty.

Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj wrote a letter to the state government seeking new office space, but the state government has yet to respond. Political party leaders, voters, and others frequently visit the CEO office, and meetings with polling personnel are held there as well. In light of this, the CEO office requires spacious accommodation.

Aside from the Secretariat building, CEO sources said they sought office space in the BRK Bhavan adjacent to the Secretariat. Vikas Raj told Deccan Chronicle that they are ready to relocate their office from Budda Bhavan to BRK Bhavan. Typically, the Election Commission of India (ECI) sets up their state CEO offices in Secretariats.

However, he informed that there are no hard and fast rules surrounding CEO office accommodation because only a few governments provided accommodation in Secretariats, while others provided office space elsewhere.

The Chief Electoral Office falls under the jurisdiction of the General Administration Department (GDA), which coordinates several issues.  During the general elections, officials will set up a control room that will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Because the Chief Electoral Office frequently receives visitors from various political parties, the Secretariat building is said to be idle for the CEO to operate, sources stated.