The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday ordered the transfer of 19 senior police officers in poll-bound West Bengal, marking the third consecutive day of administrative reshuffles ahead of the Assembly elections.
The latest directive covers a wide range of senior positions, including Additional Director Generals (ADGs), Superintendents of Police (SPs), Deputy Commissioners (DCs), and city police commissioners. Among the most significant changes, the ADGs overseeing North and South Bengal have been replaced. IPS officer Rajesh Kumar Singh has been appointed as ADG, South Bengal, while K Jayaraman will take charge as ADG, North Bengal. Both officers belong to the 1997 batch.
The Commission has also appointed new police commissioners for Howrah, Barrackpore, Chandannagar, and Asansol-Durgapur, along with reshuffling district-level officers across 13 districts.
This marks the third round of transfers since the poll schedule was announced. The first set of changes came on Sunday, within hours of the ECI declaring election dates for four states, including West Bengal, and the Union Territory of Puducherry. A second round followed on Monday, targeting senior ranks within the state police.
The Election Commission derives its authority for such actions from Article 324 of the Constitution, which grants it the power of “superintendence, direction, and control” over the electoral machinery during polls.
The ongoing reshuffle has, however, triggered a sharp political response. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, raising objections to what she described as arbitrary and sweeping transfers.
“A matter of deep concern and surprise is that the heads of the administrative machinery in the state of West Bengal have been removed within hours of the press release announcing the General Election to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, 2026,” Banerjee said in her letter.
“This has been done in an arbitrary manner, without seeking a panel of officers from the state government and without adhering to the established convention that has guided ECI–state institutional functioning during previous elections,” she added.
She further argued that such actions could undermine constitutional principles. “It also undermines the spirit of cooperative federalism and the principles of our democratic polity, which form a basic feature of our constitutional governance,” Banerjee wrote, adding that the ECI “is expected not only to exercise its powers but also to uphold the spirit and values inherent in India’s federal structure”.
The transfers have also sparked protests in Parliament. Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O’Brien announced a day-long walkout from the Rajya Sabha, describing the moves as “transfers made by the ECI in the middle of the night”.
Responding to the criticism, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju defended the Commission’s actions, stating that it was acting within its constitutional mandate. He also accused the TMC of “routinely attacking constitutional bodies”.
The latest reshuffle follows earlier high-level changes that saw the transfer of the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, Director General of Police, and the Kolkata Police Commissioner shortly after the election schedule was announced.
West Bengal’s 294 Assembly constituencies will go to polls in two phases, on 23 April and 29 April, covering 152 and 142 seats respectively. The counting of votes is scheduled for 4 May.
