In a major move to ensure fair elections, the Election Commission has reshuffled key officers in West Bengal ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls, deploying IAS and IPS officers to oversee crucial aspects of the electoral process.
Key Points
- The Election Commission has reshuffled senior officers in West Bengal to ensure free and fair assembly elections.
- Thirteen IAS officers have been appointed as district magistrates and district election officers.
- Five IPS officers have been transferred as deputy inspectors general across key ranges.
- The reshuffle includes the posting of secretaries as election observers in other poll-bound states.
- These changes aim to closely monitor poll preparedness and conduct at the district level for the upcoming elections.
The Election Commission on Wednesday intensified preparations for the West Bengal Assembly elections, ordering a fresh reshuffle of senior officers, posting two secretaries to other poll-bound states as observers, and deploying 13 IAS and five IPS officers in key poll management roles, an official said.
Priyanka Shingla, special secretary of the civil defence and disaster management department, and P Mohan Gandhi, secretary of industries, commerce and enterprises, were sent to other states as election observers, he said.
Key Officer Appointments
In a parallel order, 13 IAS officers were appointed district magistrates (DMs), who will also serve as district election officers (DEOs), placing them at the centre of poll supervision.
Officers Jitin Yadav (Cooch Behar), Sandeep Ghosh (Jalpaiguri), Vivek Kumar (Uttar Dinajpur), Rajanvir Singh Kapur (Malda) and R Arjun (Murshidabad) have been posted as DMs-cum-DEOs.
Similarly, Srikant Palli has been appointed as DM-cum-DEO of Nadia, Sweta Agarwal in Purba Bardhaman, Shilpa Gorisaria in North 24 Parganas, Abhishek Kumar Tiwary in South 24 Parganas, Harishankar Panicker in Darjeeling and T Balasubramanian in Alipurduar.
Smita Pandey has been posted as Municipal Commissioner of Kolkata Municipal Corporation and DEO of Kolkata North, while Randhir Kumar will serve as DEO of Kolkata South.
IPS Officer Transfers
Five IPS officers were also transferred as deputy inspectors general (DIGs), including Rathod Amitkumar Bharat (Raiganj Range), Ajeet Singh Yadav (Murshidabad), Shrihari Pandey (Bardhaman), Kankar Prosad Barui (Presidency Range), and Anjali Singh (Jalpaiguri).
"These officers will play a crucial role in ensuring free, fair and transparent elections. Many will also function in observer capacities to closely monitor poll preparedness and conduct at the district level," a senior officer of the Election Commission said.
The reshuffle follows earlier changes after the election schedule was announced, including the transfer of Chief Secretary Nandini Chakravorty, Home Secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena, and the removal of DGP Peeyush Pandey and Kolkata Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar.
Polling for the 294-member assembly will be held in two phases on April 23 and 29, with counting scheduled for May 4.
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