NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday ordered the transfer of 19 senior police officers in West Bengal, marking the third consecutive day of such reshuffles in the poll-bound state.The poll body replaced the ADG/IGPs of the south and north Bengal regions, the police commissioners of Howrah, Barrackpore, Chandannagar, and Asansol-Durgapur, as well as the superintendents of police (SPs) and deputy commissioners (DCs) across 13 districts.The initial round of transfers was implemented just hours after the ECI announced the assembly election schedule on Sunday for four states, including West Bengal, and the Union territory of Puducherry. West Bengal chief secretary Nandini Chakraborty was removed late on Sunday night along with principal secretary (Home) Jagdish Prasad Meena. The Election Commission appointed IAS officer Dushyant Nariala of the 1993 batch as the new chief secretary and IAS officer Sanghamitra Ghosh of the 1997 batch as principal secretary, Home and Hill Affairs.The second round of transfers took place on Monday afternoon within the senior ranks of the West Bengal police. DGP Peeyush Pandey was replaced by 1992-batch IPS officer Siddh Nath Gupta, while Kolkata Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar was succeeded by Ajay Kumar Nand, an IPS officer of the 1996 batch.The Election Commission also reshuffled the key post of ADG and IGP, Law and Order—responsible for managing political clashes, controlling violence, and overseeing security deployment during elections—appointing 1995-batch IPS officer Ajay Mukund Ranade in place of the incumbent. Additionally, 1991-batch IPS officer Natarajan Ramesh Babu was posted as DG, Correctional Services. All officers transferred have been barred from taking any poll-related assignments until the conclusion of the assembly elections in the state.The transfers drew sharp criticism from the Trinamool Congress in Parliament. TMC MP Derek O’Brien announced a day-long walkout by party MPs from the Rajya Sabha to protest what he called “transfers made by the EC in the middle of the night.” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, however, emphasized that the poll panel was exercising its constitutional mandate and accused the TMC of routinely attacking constitutional bodies.In past West Bengal elections, the EC has similarly reshuffled police leadership: during the 2021 assembly polls, DGP Virendra was replaced by P. Nirajnayan, while in the 2024 elections, DGP Rajeev Kumar—recently given a Rajya Sabha seat by the Trinamool—was replaced by Vivek Sahay, who was then succeeded by Sanjoy Mukherjee the very next day.The ECI derives its authority to transfer officers directly involved in elections from Article 324 of the Constitution, which vests it with the power of “superintendence, direction, and control” over the entire poll machinery in a state or Union territory during elections.All 294 assembly constituencies in West Bengal will be held in two phases – April 23 and 29 – with voting for 152 and 142 seats respectively. The counting will be held on May 4.
