Trinamool Congress Questions Election Commission Appointment Amid Family Ties Allegations

The political controversy surrounding the Election Commission's appointment has resurfaced again. The Trinamool Congress has questioned the appointment of the district magistrate of North Dinajpur. The ruling party claims that the new district magistrate appointed by the commission has family links to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party, the JDU. On 18 March, the Election Commission removed several district magistrates and district electoral officers (DEOs) in the state. The list also included North Dinajpur. Vivek Kumar Singh was appointed as the new district magistrate there. The Trinamool objected to his appointment. The party alleges that Vivek's father, Virendra Kumar Singh, was a former JDU leader and MP. He has also served as an MLA from Bihar. The Trinamool released a few photographs at a press conference, claiming that Virendra Kumar Singh was elected MP from Bihar's Aurangabad constituency in 1996 and won the Nabinagar assembly seat in 2010 and remained an MLA until 2015. The party further claims that Virendra Kumar Singh is close to Nitish Kumar and that is the reason for his son's appointment to the key administrative post. On Thursday, the state forest watcher, Dheeraj Kumar, did not verify the authenticity of the four photographs of the state forest watcher.