IPS Rashmi Shukla Reinstated as Maharashtra DGP Days after Mahayuti Alliance Victory

Senior IPS officer Rashmi Shukla was reinstated as the Director General of Police (DGP) of Maharashtra on Tuesday. This comes days after the decisive victory of the Mahayuti Alliance in the recent state assembly elections. Shukla had been removed from her position by the Election Commission of India (ECI) days ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections.

The Mahayuti alliance is set to form the government in Maharashtra after having secured 230 of the 288 seats, with the BJP winning 132 seats, and its allies—the Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the NCP faction led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar—claiming 57 and 41 seats, respectively.

Meanwhile, the Congress party has demanded action against Shukla, alleging violations of the Model Code of Conduct. The party approached the ECI on Monday, accusing her of meeting BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis during the elections. Congress has also reiterated its accusations regarding her alleged involvement in phone tapping of opposition leaders. The party had previously called for her removal during the polls, which the ECI acted upon at the time.

Shukla, a 1988 batch IPS officer is the first woman to hold the state’s top police position. She was temporarily transferred by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on November 4, ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, as part of routine measures under the Model Code of Conduct. Following her transfer, IPS Sanjay Kumar Verma was appointed as acting DGP. Before her appointment as DGP, Shukla served as the Commissioner of the State Intelligence Department.​