The Election Commission of India (ECI) has appointed Sanjay Kumar Verma, a 1990-batch IPS officer who is currently the Director General of Police (Legal and Technical Wing), as the new police chief of Maharashtra ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
Verma, the front-runner for the Director General of Police (DGP) position, is set to retire in April 2028. Verma replaces Rashmi Shukla, who was placed on mandatory retirement for a month after the Opposition parties’ objection.
In his letter to the state chief secretary, ECI Secretary SK Das stated, “I am directed to convey that the Commission has considered the panel and approved the name of Shri Sanjay Kumar Verma, IPS (MH:1990) for posting as DGP Maharashtra.”
During the Devendra Fadnavis government, Verma served for the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) for four years as the Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) and the Inspector General of the Kolhapur area. He became DG Legal and Technical after being promoted to DG.
As per media reports, Verma will remain in charge until the elections. The incoming government will then determine whether he will continue in his role or if Shukla will be reinstated as DGP.
Sources indicated that if the Mahayuti government assumes power, Shukla may be reinstated, whereas if the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government takes over, Verma may be asked to remain in position.
A free and fair election process in the state was allegedly hampered by Shukla’s claimed bias towards the BJP, which prompted MVA to write to the ECI seeking her dismissal. Shukla and the state chief secretary were recently pulled up by the ECI for partially complying with its directives to transfer certain officers ahead of the polls.
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