The West Bengal government has transferred 64 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS) officers, including 17 district magistrates, in a major reshuffle ahead of the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The transfers came just hours before the Election Commission’s press conference announcing the commencement date of the SIR process, expected to start from November 1.
Senior officials described the timing as strategic, anticipating that the Election Commission would reassign district magistrates holding their posts for more than three years. The reshuffle includes key positions such as Sharad Kumar Dwivedi, moved from district magistrate of North 24 Parganas to Secretary of Health and Family Welfare, and Sumit Gupta, shifted from South 24 Parganas district magistrate to Commissioner of Kolkata Municipal Corporation. Several other district magistrates were reassigned to important districts, including Cooch Behar, Murshidabad, Purulia, Darjeeling, Malda, Birbhum, Jhargram, and East Midnapore.
The transfers have sparked criticism from the BJP, which lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, alleging the move violates Commission guidelines and could disrupt the neutrality of the electoral revision. The state government maintains that the transfers are routine administrative measures, previously delayed by holiday schedules. The reshuffle covers a broad spectrum of officers directly involved in electoral processes, heightening political sensitivity as West Bengal prepares for assembly elections scheduled for 2026.
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