KOLKATA: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday removed 83 Block Development Officers (BDOs) who were serving as Assistant Returning Officers (AROs) across different districts of West Bengal, just 24 days ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls in the state.
The two-phase elections for 294 Assembly constituencies will be held on April 23 and 29.
The ECI has directed the state Chief Secretary to implement the transfer and posting of the 83 BDOs and AROs.
The Commission took the step following a proposal by West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal, who sought the transfer and reposting of BDOs and AROs across districts in north and south Bengal.
Notably, the highest number of transfers, 14 BDOs and AROs, were in East Midnapore district, followed by 11 in South 24 Parganas.
Two of the transferred officials were posted under the Nandigram Assembly constituency in East Midnapore, where Leader of the Opposition and BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari has been renominated by the party. Adhikari had defeated Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee by around 2,000 votes in the 2021 elections.
Earlier, the Commission had also transferred several senior bureaucrats, including Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty and Home Secretary J P Meena, along with IPS officers such as Director General of Police Peeyush Pandey and the Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, among others.
These steps were taken to ensure free and fair elections in West Bengal, which is considered one of the most sensitive states in terms of poll-related violence.
Sources in the office of the state CEO said, “Transfers of bureaucrats, IPS officers and other administrative officials directly involved in the election process are not new. These measures are taken ahead of every election to ensure that people can exercise their voting rights freely, without fear or favour.”
“This time, the Commission has decided to take strict action if any officer is found displaying partisan behaviour while carrying out election duties. We want every officer involved in the process to act impartially and without favouring any political party,” the source added, requesting anonymity.
Earlier this week, the poll panel had appointed Returning Officers (ROs) in 73 Assembly constituencies, including the high-profile Bhabanipur seat, where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is set to contest.
The removal of the RO in Bhabanipur had prompted Mamata Banerjee to question the neutrality of the Commission.
Subsequently, Surajit Roy, a BDO from Nandigram, was appointed as the new RO in Bhabanipur. The Trinamool Congress alleged that Roy had links with Suvendu Adhikari and lodged an official complaint with the ECI.
In another reshuffle carried out late Thursday night, 14 officers were removed across nine districts in the state.
These officials had been appointed only last Monday, making their removal within five days a significant and unusual administrative move.
