The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday expanded its focus beyond top bureaucrats in its effort to ensure violence-free and fair elections in West Bengal and is now scrutinising lower-level officers, in addition to senior administrative and police officers in the state.
A day after the election schedule was announced, ECI sought additional details and asked the state to provide a list of re-employed officers and employees who were transferred after February 28, 2026.
Following this directive, the state’s Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department asked all departments to submit lists of employees transferred after February 28, 2026, along with details of all re-employed officers and staff.
On Sunday, EC asked the state administration to submit a list of police station–level officers under whose jurisdiction incidents of pre-poll and polling-day violence occurred during the 2021 West Bengal Assembly election, as well as pre-poll, polling-day, and post-poll violence during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Hours after announcing the Bengal polls, the Commission also replaced two of the state’s top bureaucrats, removing Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty and appointing Dushyant Nariala in her place late on Sunday.
Similarly, Home Secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena was replaced by Sanghamitra Ghosh.
In a letter to the Bengal chief secretary, the Commission stated that Chakraborty and Meena must not be assigned any election-related role until the polling process concludes.
“The directions of the Election Commission should be implemented with immediate effect and a compliance report in respect of joining of Dushyant Nariala and Sanghamitra Ghosh be sent by 3 pm on March 16 (Monday),” it said.
On Monday morning, ECI also ordered the transfer of several senior police officers, including the director general of police, the ADG (Law and Order), the commissioner ofKolkatapolice, and the director general of Correctional Services.
A senior ECI official said the “list will not end here”.
“We are determined to ensure violence-free elections in Bengal.
To ensure that, we will go to any length and replace any officers we deem necessary.
Lower-level police personnel and administration officers sometimes take an important role in conducting free and fair elections.
We will bring strong and transparent officers in those posts as well.”
“Bengal will see a massive reshuffle in the coming week across all levels of the administration,” the official added.
West Bengal will vote in two phases on April 23 and April 29, down from eight phases in the previous election.
The counting of votes will take place on May 4.
Atri Mitra is a highly accomplished Special Correspondent for The Indian Express, bringing over 20 years of experience to his reporting.
His work is characterized by deep regional knowledge and a focus on critical administrative and political developments, establishing strong Expertise and Authority in his domain.
Experience
Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express.
Decades of Experience: Over two decades of extensive reporting experience, primarily covering administration and political news.
Geographical Focus: Holds significant reporting experience from West Bengal, Bihar, and the North-East, providing a comprehensive understanding of the socio-political landscape in these regions.
Key Coverage: Has dedicated more than ten years to covering administration and political news, with a keen focus on political developments in West Bengal.
Electoral Reporting: Demonstrated a commitment to crucial political moments, having covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections during his time at Anandabazar Patrika, and the 2019 Bihar Lok Sabha election while working with News18-Bangla.
Career Foundation: Began his career at the leading vernacular daily Anandabazar Patrika, where he worked for more than fifteen years, including a three-year stint as the Bihar correspondent.
Advanced Degree: Holds a Master's degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University, providing an analytical framework for his political and administrative reporting.
Undergraduate Education: Holds a Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University.
Prestigious Alumni: His educational background includes attending esteemed institutions: he is an alumnus of St.
Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur.
Atri Mitra's decades of dedicated reporting, substantial focus on political and administrative beats, and solid academic credentials make him a trusted and authoritative source for news and analysis from Eastern and North-Eastern India....
Read More
Stay updated with the latest -Click here to follow us on Instagram
Related Stories
Source: This article was originally published by The Indian Express
Read Full Original Article →
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!
Leave a Comment