Mizoram chief minister Lal Thanhawla on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the immediate removal of state Chief Electoral Officer S.B. Shashank as “people have lost faith in him”. Shashank’s removal is the only solution for smooth conduct of the November 28 Assembly elections, the chief minister said in his letter.

He said people of Mizoram have lost faith in the CEO after he complained to the Election Commission of India (ECI) that principal secretary (home) Lalnunmawia Chuaungo was interfering in the poll process. Chuaungo, a 1987-batch Gujarat-cadre IAS officer, was relieved of his responsibilities in the state.