NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a direction to the West Bengal government asking it to immediately withdraw the transfer and posting orders of three Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers who were engaged as Electoral Roll Observers.
The poll body also asserted that the state government’s action violated explicit instructions issued during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
In a strongly worded letter addressed to the Chief Secretary of West Bengal, the ECI said that the officers were transferred without its prior approval, despite clear directions that no official associated with the SIR exercise should be moved during the period when the revision is being conducted. It described the state government’s action as a direct violation of its instructions.
“It has come to the Commission’s notice that the Government of West Bengal has ordered departmental transfers/postings of Electoral Roll Observers without prior concurrence of the Commission, which is in violation of the ECI’s instructions,” the letter read.
The ECI has also directed the state government to cancel the transfer orders “forthwith” and cautioned that prior approval from it must be obtained before issuing any such orders in the future.
The ECI recalled that it had formally announced the SIR in West Bengal through a letter dated October 27, 2025. Paragraph 4 of that communication explicitly mandated chief secretaries to ensure that officials engaged in the exercise were not transferred without its consent.
Subsequently, through another letter issued in late November 2025, the ECI appointed 12 Electoral Roll Observers along with five Divisional Commissioners for the conduct of the SIR. These officers were placed on “deemed deputation” to the Election Commission of India for the entire duration of the revision process, underscoring the importance of continuity and independence in election-related work.
Despite these clear instructions, the West Bengal government issued transfer and posting notifications on December 1, 2025, January 20, 2026 and January 21, 2026. These orders affected three IAS officers, including Ashwini Kumar Yadav, who was serving as Electoral Roll Observer for Uttar Dinajpur and Dakshin Dinajpur; Randhir Kumar, assigned to North 24 Parganas and Kolkata North and Smita Pandey, responsible for Paschim Bardhaman, Purba Bardhaman and Birbhum.
The ECI noted that all three officers were transferred without its approval, even though they were engaged in a critical election-related assignment.
Emphasising the seriousness of the matter, the ECI reiterated that such actions could disrupt the integrity and continuity of the electoral roll revision process and asked the West Bengal government to submit a compliance report by 3 pm on January 28, 2026.