Kolkata, March 16: The Election Commission of India has ordered an immediate and sweeping reshuffle of West Bengal’s top administrative and police brass to ensure impartiality during the upcoming assembly elections. In an unprecedented move following the announcement of the poll schedule, the commission removed Chief Secretary Nandini Chakravorty and Director General of Police Peeyush Pandey from their respective posts.
Dushyant Nariala, a 1993-batch IAS officer, has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary, while senior IPS officer Siddh Nath Gupta has taken charge as the Director General of Police. These changes come as the state prepares for a two-phase election scheduled for April 23 and April 29, with the counting of votes set for May 4.
The commission affirmed that the decision followed a comprehensive review of the state’s election preparedness. According to an official communication, the poll panel directed the state government to implement these orders immediately. The administration was further instructed to submit a compliance report by 3 p.m. on Monday.
The overhaul extended to the Home Department and the Kolkata Police. Home Secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena was removed, with Sanghamitra Ghosh, a 1997-batch IAS officer, named as the new Principal Secretary for Home and Hill Affairs. Additionally, Ajay Kumar Nand has replaced Supratim Sarkar as the Kolkata Police Commissioner.
“The officers transferred out of their positions should not be posted in any election-related assignment until the completion of the polls,” the commission declared in its directive.
This administrative shift follows recent friction between the state administration and the poll body. Observers in political circles maintained that the intervention was necessary to uphold administrative neutrality. Further appointments included Natarajan Ramesh Babu as Director General of Correctional Services and Ajay Mukund Ranade as Additional Director General for Law and Order.
