Kolkata: Within just a few hours of the announcement of the Assembly elections in West Bengal, a major administrative reshuffle has taken place in the state. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has removed the state’s Chief Secretary, Nandini Chakraborty, and Home Secretary, Jagdish Prasad Meena, from their respective posts. Experts believe that this stern move by the Commission has been taken to ensure free and peaceful elections, as well as to uphold administrative impartiality.
On Sunday afternoon, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar announced the schedule for the West Bengal Assembly elections (2026). The echoes of that announcement had barely subsided when, acting under the strict directives of the Election Commission, two of the state’s top bureaucrats were removed, and the names of the new officers to replace them were announced immediately.
In accordance with the Commission’s directives, Dushyant Nariyala—a senior IAS officer of the 1993 batch—has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary of the West Bengal government. Additionally, Sanghamitra Ghosh—a 1997-batch IAS officer—has been appointed as the Principal Secretary of the state’s Department of Home and Hill Affairs. Commission sources have indicated that both of these experienced officers will assume charge immediately. A letter addressed to the state’s Chief Secretary stated that the Commission’s top officials took this decision regarding the transfers only after thoroughly reviewing all preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections. Typically, as soon as the election schedule is announced, the Model Code of Conduct comes into force in the state, and the reins of the entire administration pass directly into the hands of the Election Commission. Exercising this authority, the Commission sent a strong message by initiating a reshuffle at the highest levels of the administration on the very first day.
The Election Commission has also imposed a strict deadline on the state government regarding this administrative reshuffle. The directive clearly states that these transfers must be implemented immediately. Furthermore, the State Government is required to submit a compliance report to the Commission by 3:00 PM on March 16, confirming whether the two newly appointed IAS officers have indeed assumed charge of their respective new posts. The State Administration has been directed to take immediate action to implement these directives within the stipulated timeframe.
To ensure free and fair elections, the Commission has imposed strict conditions regarding the future assignments of the two bureaucrats who were removed from their posts. The directive states that the officers relieved of their current duties cannot be appointed to any election-related post or assignment until the entire electoral process has been concluded. This implies that throughout the entire duration of the elections, these officers must remain completely disassociated from the electoral process.
**Commission Also Removes Top Police Officials**
The Election Commission has also removed Bengal’s Director General of Police (DGP), Piyush Pandey, and the Additional Director General (ADG) of Law and Order, Vineet Goyal, from their posts. Senior IPS officer Siddhinath Gupta has been appointed as the new DGP. Additionally, Kolkata Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar has been relieved of his duties, and Ajay Kumar Nand has been appointed as the new Police Commissioner in his place. Furthermore, Ajay Mukund Ranade has been entrusted with the crucial responsibility of ADG (Law and Order)—a key position for maintaining public order.
The Election Commission has directed that these changes within the top police leadership must be implemented by 3:00 PM on Monday. The Commission has barred these removed police officials from participating in any election-related duties.
**Ajay Nand: Kolkata’s New Police Commissioner**
In accordance with the Commission’s decision, the incumbent DGP, Piyush Pandey, can no longer continue in his post. Siddhinath Gupta has been appointed to take charge as the State’s new DGP in his stead. Supratim Sarkar, who had been holding this responsibility until now, has been removed, and Ajay Nand has been appointed as the new Police Commissioner (CP) of Kolkata. According to political observers, the Election Commission has taken this significant step specifically to ensure impartiality within the administrative machinery ahead of the assembly elections. There have been instances in the past as well where several police and administrative officials in the state were removed following allegations of bias during elections.
West Bengal has a total of 294 assembly seats. In 2021, the elections were conducted in eight phases. This time, the Election Commission has announced that voting in the state will take place in two phases—on April 23 and April 29. Voting will be held for 152 constituencies in the first phase and 142 constituencies in the second phase. The counting of votes will take place on May 4.
