A controversy broke out over the transfer of a poll observer, an IAS officer, who allegedly ordered the stopping of a motorcycle rally of Congress campaigner and Priyanka Gandhi's husband Robert Vadra on the charge of violating the model code of conduct. The incident happend on Monday.

Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi, however, maintained the transfer of Pawan Sen, IAS officer of 2005 batch, was not linked to the incident and his shift to Goa, which too goes to assembly poll, has been put on hold till February 19 when Amethi goes to polls in the third phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh.

Vadra was stopped by the authorities while heading towards Salon area of the district for using more vehicles against the permitted number of ten bikes, district magistrate J P Gupta said.

Sen had also ordered filing of an FIR against the local Congress candidate in the assembly poll.

Quraishi said that "the incident is unrelated to the observer?s transfer. It has nothing to do with it. The Election Commission had during its meeting this morning decided that Sen be posted as Deputy Commissioner in South Goa, after complaints from various political parties about the conduct of the present DC in South Goa who was earlier the state chief minister?s Principal Secretary".

"We had decided to seek a panel from the state government and among the panel was Sen?s name ? the other two being Secretaries to the chief minister and governor.

"To avoid misinterpretation by some mischievous people, we have since kept on hold his transfer. He will be relieved from his election observer duty only after the polls are over on February 19", he added.

He said when an EC team had visited Goa last week it had received complaints that the South Goa Collector may not be neutral and "the only IAS officer available to us is Sen. So, we decided since we have so many observers in UP, we can use another observer".