ECI Directs Transfer of Top Police and District Officials; Officers Barred from Poll Portfolios
ECI transfers five DIGs, 11 DMs in West Bengal; officers barred from poll roles until elections.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday ordered a major reshuffle of senior administrative and police officials in West Bengal, transferring five deputy inspector generals (DIGs) of police and 11 district magistrates (DMs) ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. The poll body also directed that the transferred officers would not hold any election-related portfolios until the conclusion of the polls.
The DMs, who also serve as district electoral officers (DEOs), were reassigned to districts including Darjeeling, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Uttar Dinajpur, Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, Purba Bardhaman, North 24 Parganas, and South 24 Parganas. The five DIGs—Rathod Amitkumar Bharat, Ajeet Singh Yadav, Srihari Pandey, Kankar Prasad Barui, and Anjali Singh—will take charge of Raiganj, Murshidabad, Bardhaman, Presidency, and Jalpaiguri ranges respectively, replacing their predecessors with immediate effect by March 19, according to a communication from ECI Secretary Sujeet Kumar Mishra to Chief Secretary Dushyant Nariala.
The decision follows a broader ECI initiative to strengthen administrative oversight in the state, coming shortly after the announcement of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections and the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). Previously, the ECI had replaced the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, and other senior police officials, including DGP Peeyush Pandey and Kolkata Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar. Nandini Chakraborty was succeeded by Dushyant Nariala as Chief Secretary, while Sanghamitra Ghosh became West Bengal’s first female Home Secretary.
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Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed strong objection to the reshuffle, writing to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Monday night. In her letter, she criticized the move as arbitrary and in violation of established conventions, stating it undermined “cooperative federalism and principles of our democratic polity.” She also noted that the removals occurred within hours of the election announcement, describing the actions as unprecedented in the state’s history.
Political observers view the ECI’s sweeping transfers as an effort to ensure impartiality and prevent alleged partisan influences during the electoral process. West Bengal is considered a highly sensitive state in terms of electoral violence, with past elections often marked by clashes, arson, and political unrest. The reshuffle is seen as part of the poll body’s efforts to maintain law and order and uphold the credibility of the electoral process.
The ECI has concurrently appointed senior officers to critical posts, including Siddh Nath Gupta as Director General and IGP (in-charge), Natarajan Ramesh Babu as Director General of Correctional Services, and Ajay Mukund Ranade as Additional Director General and IGP (Law and Order). Ajay Kumar Nand has been posted as Commissioner of Kolkata Police, reflecting the commission’s comprehensive approach to administrative preparedness ahead of the polls.
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