ECI Orders Immediate Transfer of Top Bengal Officials After Announcing Assembly Poll Schedule

The Election Commission of India on Sunday ordered the immediate transfer of senior officials in poll-bound West Bengal, including the Chief Secretary and the Principal Secretary (Home and Hill Affairs), hours after announcing the schedule for the upcoming Assembly elections.

Earlier on March 15, the Election Commission announced the schedule for Assembly elections in four states and one Union Territory. In West Bengal, polling will take place in two phases on April 23 and April 29, while the counting of votes will be held on May 4.

According to an order issued late on Sunday, Dushyant Nariala, a 1993-batch IAS officer, has been appointed as the Chief Secretary of West Bengal. He replaces Nandini Chakravorty, who had assumed the position on December 31, 2025.

The Election Commission also ordered the removal of Jagdish Prasad Meena, a 2004-batch IAS officer serving as Principal Secretary, Home and Hill Affairs in the state government. He will be replaced by Sanghamitra Ghosh, a 1997-batch IAS officer.

The poll body directed that the transfers be implemented with immediate effect and asked the state government to submit a compliance report by 3 PM on Monday, March 16, confirming that the newly appointed officers have taken charge.

Following the order, political parties in the state reacted to the development. The ruling All India Trinamool Congress criticised the move, while the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party said the Election Commission should ensure that officials linked to any political party are not part of the election machinery.

TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty said the Commission could transfer officers but not Mamata Banerjee from the hearts of the people. BJP’s chief spokesperson in the state, Debjit Sarkar, said the party had earlier urged the Election Commission to ensure neutrality in the conduct of the elections.

Powers of the Election Commission

The powers of the Election Commission stem from Article 324 of the Constitution of India, which vests in the Commission the superintendence, direction, and control of elections to Parliament, state legislatures, and the offices of the President and Vice President.

Under these powers, the Commission can issue directions to governments and administrative authorities to ensure free and fair elections, including transferring officials, deploying central forces, enforcing the Model Code of Conduct, and overseeing the conduct of the electoral process.

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