Within hours of announcing the schedule for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered a major administrative reshuffle in the state, removing the Chief Secretary and Home Secretary from their posts in a move widely viewed as an attempt to ensure neutrality in the run-up to the polls.
The Commission directed the immediate removal of State Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty and Home Secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena late Sunday night, shortly after the election schedule was announced.
According to the Commission’s directive, senior IAS officer Dushyant Nariala has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary of the Government of West Bengal. At the same time, IAS officer Sanghamitra Ghosh has been designated as the Principal Secretary of the state’s Department of Home and Hill Affairs.
Sources in the Commission said the decision followed a review of administrative preparations for the upcoming elections. A letter issued from the Commission’s headquarters in New Delhi immediately after the poll schedule announcement instructed the state government to implement the transfers with immediate effect.
The state administration has been asked to submit a compliance report by 3:00 pm on Monday confirming that the newly appointed officers have assumed charge of their respective posts.
The directive also places restrictions on the officials who have been removed. According to the Commission, the relieved officers cannot be assigned to any election-related duties until the entire electoral process is completed, ensuring that they remain detached from the conduct of the polls.
The reshuffle came soon after Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar announced the election schedule for the state on Sunday afternoon. With the announcement, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into force, placing the state administration under the supervisory authority of the Election Commission.
Political observers say the simultaneous removal of the state’s two highest-ranking bureaucrats within hours of the election announcement is a significant development. While transfers of police and administrative officials during elections are not uncommon, such action at the very top of the administrative hierarchy is relatively rare and indicates that the Commission intends to closely monitor the state’s administrative machinery from the outset.
The Assembly elections in West Bengal will be conducted in two phases this year. Voting for 152 constituencies will take place on April 23, while polling for the remaining 142 constituencies will be held on April 29. Votes for all 294 Assembly seats will be counted on May 4.
Opposition parties had earlier urged the Commission to limit the elections to a maximum of two phases in order to reduce the possibility of violence. The Commission ultimately approved the two-phase schedule.
With the administrative reshuffle and the MCC already in force, the election process in the state has formally entered a critical phase, with the Commission signalling its intent to maintain strict oversight over the administration in the weeks leading up to the polls.
Also read: ECI announces Assembly poll schedule for 4 states, Puducherry
Follow us
