Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Deepak Kumar was on Tuesday given the charge of the Home department. Principal Secretary, Home, Sanjay Prasad, was removed on Monday on the orders of the Election Commission of India. Sanjay Prasad will continue as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and Principal Secretary (Information), a government spokesperson said. ACS Deepak Kumar, a 1990-batch officer, held the charge of the Basic Education department and was later given additional charge of the Finance department. Sources said Uttar Pradesh is the only state which tried to hold its ground after the Election Commission of India ordered to replace Prasad. The Election Commission, however, stood firm, after which Deepak Kumar was given  the charge. The sources said Chief Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra, within hours of the Election Commissions decision on Monday, wrote back to the poll panel, mentioning that Prasad had relinquished the additional charge of the Chief Ministers Office (CMO) days before the 7-phase Lok Sabha elections were announced on March 16. As the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into effect immediately after the schedule was released, there was no conflict of interest on the part of Kumar, the Chief Secretary insisted. However, the ECI reiterated its decision and asked Mishra to recommend three names. Sanjay Prasad, an IAS officer of the 1995 batch, is said to be amongst the most trusted officials of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Prasad took over as Uttar Pradeshs Principal Secretary (Home) in September 2022.

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