West Bengal Assembly Election: EC Transfers Four Police Officers Ahead Of Sixth Phase Of Poll

Three days before the sixth phase of the West Bengal Assembly polls, the Election Commission transferred the Superintendents of Police of East Burdwan and Birbhum districts, and the Commissioner of Police of Asansol-Durgapur.

The SDPO of Bolepur in Birbhum district was also removed.

The poll panel also announced the date of the repoll in two constituencies following the death of the candidates.

In an order, the poll panel removed Bhaskar Mukherji as Superintendent of Police of East Burdwan and replaced him with Ajeet Kumar Singh. The district is supposed to go for the election in the sixth phase on 22 April.

In Birbhum, where the voters will exercise their franchise in the eighth and final phase on 29 April, the EC replaced Superintendent of Police Miraj Khalid with Nagendra Nath Tripathi.

It also appointed Mitesh Jain in place of Sukesh Jain as the Police Commissioner of Asansol-Durgapur, the order said.

Sub-divisional police officer, Bolpur, Abhishek Roy was also removed and Nagaraj Devarakonda was appointed in his place, it added.

In another development, the Cmmission on Monday fixed 13 May as the dates for repoll at Samsherganj and Jangipur seat in Murshidabad, following the death of two candidates of Sanjukta Morcha (United Front) in both these seats due to Covid-19. The elections in both these seats were scheduled to be held on 26 April during the seventh phase of polls.

On 15 April, the Congress candidate from Samsherganj, Rezaul Haque died due to Covid, compelling the poll panel to postpone the polls in that particular seat. Two days later, on 16 April, RSP candidate from Jangipur seat Pradip Nandi became the second Covid victim and voting was postponed in that seat too.

The Left Front, Congress and the All India Secular Front are contesting this election as allies under the umbrella of Sanjukta Morcha.

According to the Commission, the last day of filing nomination in these two seats is 26 April and withdrawal can be done on 29 April. The results in both the seats will be announced on 18 May.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)