West Bengal Poll Row: EC Removes Top Bureaucrats After Election Dates Announced; Mamata Banerjee Calls Protest

Hours after the announcement of the West Bengal election schedule, the Election Commission of India ordered the removal of several senior bureaucrats in the state, including Chief Secretary Nandini Chakravorty, triggering a political row with the government led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The state will vote in two phases on April 23 and April 29, while the counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.

Soon after the order, Mamata Banerjee announced that she would take out a protest march at 4 pm on Monday, accusing the poll body of targeting officials of her government.

Senior Officials Transferred

The Election Commission has appointed Dushyant Nariala, a 1993-batch IAS officer, as the new chief secretary of West Bengal. The commission stated that Nandini Chakravorty would not be assigned any election-related duties during the poll period.

The poll body also ordered the transfer of several other senior officials:

State Director General of Police Peeyush Pandey has been replaced by Siddh Nath Gupta

Kolkata Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar has been replaced by Ajay Kumar Nand

Home Secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena has also been removed

In addition, the commission directed the state government to appoint Sanghamitra Ghosh, a 1997-batch IAS officer, as Principal Secretary for Home and Hill Affairs.

In its communication to the state government, the commission said the transferred officers cannot be posted in any election-related roles until the completion of the polls.

Political Storm Over EC Move

The decision sparked strong reactions from the ruling All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). Party MPs staged a day-long walkout in the Rajya Sabha, protesting the removal of the state's senior bureaucrats.

TMC MP Derek O'Brien criticised the move, claiming the officers were removed suddenly late at night.

Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju defended the poll panel's decision, stating that the Election Commission is a constitutional authority and questioning its actions in Parliament was not appropriate.

TMC MP Shatabdi Roy also alleged that the rival Bharatiya Janata Party was misusing government resources in the run-up to the elections.

EC Says Move Aimed at Ensuring Fair Polls

The Election Commission said the transfers were made after reviewing the state's election preparedness and were intended to ensure free, fair and peaceful polling.

In a directive sent to the state government, the commission asked that the orders be implemented immediately, with a report confirming the new officials' joining to be submitted by 3 pm on Monday.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had earlier assured that the upcoming elections in West Bengal would be conducted peacefully and without violence.

As part of this effort, the poll panel said it had transferred several senior police officials, including the Director General of Police and the Kolkata Police Commissioner, to strengthen neutrality during the election process.

With the election campaign heating up and political tensions rising, the coming weeks are expected to see intense contest and heightened scrutiny of the administrative machinery in the state.