ECI Removes Bengal Chief Secretary and Home Secretary Hours After Poll Dates Announced

The Election Commission of India took a major and unusual step by removing two top bureaucrats in West Bengal just hours after announcing the schedule for the state Assembly elections. The decision came after the Commission reviewed the preparedness for the upcoming polls and enforced the Model Code of Conduct, which came into effect immediately after the election announcement.

According to officials, the Commission replaced Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty with Dushyant Nariala, a 1993-batch IAS officer. At the same time, Home Secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena was replaced by Sanghamitra Ghosh, a 1997-batch officer who has now become the first woman to hold the position of Home Secretary in the state. The directive for these changes was issued by Surjeet Kumar Mishra through an official communication sent late Sunday night.

The Commission also made it clear that the outgoing officers would not be assigned any duties related to the election process until the Assembly polls are completed. Sources within the election body indicated that further administrative changes may follow, including possible transfers of senior police officials such as Director General of Police Peeyush Pandey, Additional DGP (Law and Order) Vineet Goyal and Supratim Sarkar.

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Earlier the same day, the Election Commission announced that the West Bengal Assembly elections would be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29. The state has historically been considered sensitive during elections due to incidents of political clashes and violence during both the campaign and counting periods.

Many political observers described the removal of the Chief Secretary as an unprecedented move since India’s independence. Analysts believe the action sends a strong signal that the Election Commission will not hesitate to take strict measures if officials are suspected of showing bias or failing to ensure a fair election process. The move also comes amid criticism of the state administration led by Mamata Banerjee regarding appointments of junior officers to key administrative posts.

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