Hyderabad: In a major reshuffle, the Telangana government Wednesday issued orders transferring and giving postings to as many as 91 police officers, including both Indian Police Services (IPS) and non-cadre officials, in the state.
More than half of them are IPS officers and the rest are admin and non-cadre officers. The opposition has termed the move as Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s “groundwork” amidst the buzz of early polls in the state. Telangana is due for Assembly polls by December.
According to the order issued by the state Chief Minister’s office, of the 91 police officers, 51 were IPS officers who were transferred while some of them, who were waiting to be posted, have been given a posting.
Considering the state is in a poll year, such a bulk reshuffle in a single go has become significant. Earlier this month, the state government transferred 29 IPS officers, including the recent reshuffle of 51 IPS officers. A total of 80 IPS officers have been transferred in just a month in the state. Although there has been an overlap of some officers, who were recently transferred, have been re-transferred again Wednesday. The strength of the IPS officers in the state is 139.
In 2021, KCR even met Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking an increase in the strength of IPS in the state to 195.
“What is key here is the mass reshuffle. While it is a usual practice for IPS officers to obtain transfers, for whatever reasons, what is unusual here is the bulk transfer and several of them who have been awaiting postings have been given a posting too. It’s like setting the base in the poll year,” a senior bureaucrat in the state told ThePrint on condition of anonymity.
Some of the key transfers, as per Wednesday’s orders, were Karimnagar District’s Police Commissioner has been transferred as Joint Commissioner of Police of Rachakonda – one of the three Commisionerates covering parts of Hyderabad and its outskirts.
Rema Rajeshwari, who was Deputy Inspector General of Police Yadadri Zone, was transferred and posted as Commissioner of Police Ramagundam district. She was one of the 29 police officers who was transferred earlier this month. So is Gajarao Bhupal who has now been transferred as Joint Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad from Rachakonda.
Vijay Kumar, who was most recently (on 4 January) transferred to the Greyhounds team as Additional DGP (operations), has now been appointed as Superintendent of Police (Intelligence.)
There have been transfers in the Deputy Commissioner of Police ranks and SP level as well.
Telangana BJP senior leader Marri Shashidhar Reddy, who most recently jumped from the Congress, termed this as KCR’s groundwork amidst a buzz that he might opt for early elections in the state, like in 2018.
“Of course, this looks like groundwork for upcoming polls. KCR believes in using administration to the full for such work. There is also a buzz that he might opt for early elections but this time no matter what KCR does, with his reigning popularity, things do not look so nice for him,” Reddy told ThePrint.
Reddy further noted that he doesn’t recall seeing such a major overhaul in the Telugu states anytime.
“BJP is also prepared. The growing anti-incumbency for KCR is what we’re looking to capture,” he added.
Senior Congress leader Madhu Yashki Goud alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party and KCR’s BRS — who recently renamed his party as Bharat Rashtra Samithi from Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) — are hand in glove for an early election in Telangana.
“It is obvious and these repeated transfers only indicate that elections are on their mind. Even if they’re going for an early poll, it cannot happen without BJP’s support. The Election Commission will not give the nod so easily. So, if KCR is so prepared and working on early polls, it is only with BJP’s support,” Goud said.
KCR is also eyeing to establish his party BRS as a national party with immediate expansion plans in states like Karnataka, Maharashtra and more.
Also read: In ‘semi-final’ bypoll before Telangana elections in 2023, TRS survives tough match with BJP