EC removes Bengal's senior officials, including Chief Secretary, DGP, hours after announcing poll schedule

Hours after announcing the Assembly election schedule in West Bengal, the Election Commission of India (ECI) removed two senior bureaucrats of the government led by Mamata Banerjee, including Chief Secretary Nandini Chakravorty.

The poll panel appointed Dushyant Nariala as the new Chief Secretary of the state and said Chakravorty would be kept away from all poll-related assignments during the election period. The Commission also removed the state's Home Secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena.

In a letter sent to the state government on Sunday night, the Election Commission further directed the appointment of Sanghamitra Ghosh as Principal Secretary, Home and Hill Affairs.

"I am directed to state that the Commission has reviewed the poll preparedness for the General Election to Legislative Assembly of West Bengal, 2026 and directs the following: Dushyant Nariala, (IAS-1993) be posted as Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal. Sanghamitra Ghosh, (IAS-1997) be posted as Principal Secretary, Home and Hill Affairs, Govt. of West Bengal," the letter signed by Sujeet Kumar Mishra, Secretary, ECI, read.

"The directions of the Commission to be implemented with immediate effect and a compliance report in respect of joining of above officers be sent by 03:00 PM on March 16, 2026. Further, the officers transferred out shall not be posted in any election-related posts till the completion of elections," the letter said.

New DGP appointed in West Bengal

The Election Commission has also ordered a major reshuffle in the police administration of West Bengal following the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct ahead of the Assembly elections. The poll panel directed the transfer and fresh postings of several senior police officials.

EC appointed senior IPS officer Siddh Nath Gupta as the Director General of Police (DGP), replacing Peeyush Pandey, an official said. The poll panel also removed Kolkata Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar and appointed Ajay Kumar Nand in his place.

In another key posting, Natarajan Ramesh Babu has been appointed as Director General of the Correctional Services Department of the state government.

Meanwhile, Ajay Mukund Ranade has been posted as Additional Director General and Inspector General (Law and Order) in the state.

The reshuffle, unprecedented in West Bengal's recent administrative history, was enforced in the wake of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress dispensation's constant criticism of the poll body over the ongoing SIR exercise in the state.

Some corners of the state's political circles maintained that the move was carried out to ensure administrative impartiality during the elections.

West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026

This year, West Bengal will go for polls in two phases on April 23 and 29, and the counting of votes will be held on May 4. In the first phase, the election will be held in Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram, Birbhum, East and West Midnapore, Jalpaiguri, Maldaha, Murshidabad, North and South Dinajpur, West Bardhaman, Darjeeling, Coochbehar, Alipurduar, and Kalimpong. In the second phase, the election will be held in East Bardhaman, Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, and Kolkata.

Also Read: Margins that matter: How close contests shaped West Bengal Assembly elections in 2021 | Explained

Also Read: West Bengal Assembly elections date 2026: Voting to be held in two phases on April 23 and 29