EC's West Bengal Shake-Up: Senior Officers Removed From Poll Duties: Here's All About It

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has made significant changes in the administration of poll duties in West Bengal by removing two senior officers - additional chief electoral officer Amit Roy Chowdhury and joint chief electoral officer Rahul Nath.

Additionally, Saumya Roy has been removed from the position of Deputy Commissioner of Kolkata Police (South West) as per a report by The Indian Express.

The ECI has requested fresh names from the state government to select replacements for these officials.

While the ECI has not provided specific reasons for their removal, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari recently accused one of the officers of bias and favoritism towards the state government, leading to a formal complaint to the ECI.

It is noted that Roy Chowdhury has been in the CEO's office for over five years, which exceeds the normal tenure limit of three years for officers in a particular post, especially during election periods.

Earlier, on 18 March, the ECI had removed West Bengal's director general of police Rajeev Kumar.

This decision came shortly after the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections. Kumar's tenure has been controversial, with incidents such as a high-profile standoff between the West Bengal government and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in February 2019.

In addition to these changes, the ECI has transferred district magistrates of Purba Medinipur, Jhargram, Purba Bardhaman, and Birbhum districts in West Bengal, as part of its preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The ECI has also appointed General and Police Special observers for West Bengal and five other states.

Alok Sinha, a retired IAS officer, has been appointed as the General Special Observer, while Anil Kumar Sharma, a retired IPS officer, will serve as the Police Special Observer.

These observers will focus on various aspects of election preparation and management, including sensitivity in certain areas, coordination between different agencies, compliance with guidelines, and ensuring free and fair elections.

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