Kolkata, March 19 Hours after attacking the Election Commission for overnight transfers of top bureaucrats and IPS officers in poll-bound West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Thursday, expressing "deep shock" over the functioning of the poll panel.
In a strongly worded letter, her eighth to the CEC, Banerjee alleged that it had "crossed all boundaries of decency and constitutional propriety".
The CM accused the poll panel of acting with "apparent bias" since the commencement of the Special Intensive Revision process and ignoring concerns raised by the state government.
"I am deeply shocked by the functioning of the Election Commission of India, which, in my view, has crossed all boundaries of decency and constitutional propriety. The ECI has acted with apparent bias, showing little regard for ground realities or the well-being of the people," she wrote.
The chief minister also referred to her government's move to approach the Supreme Court over the issue, stating that the court had acknowledged the concerns and issued directions that are currently being implemented.
Banerjee alleged that the EC had "unilaterally" transferred several senior state officials, including the chief secretary, home secretary, DGP, and multiple district magistrates and police officers, soon after the announcement of assembly polls.
"These large-scale transfers have been effected immediately following the announcement of elections, without any cogent reasons and in the absence of any allegation of violation of electoral rules or the Model Code of Conduct," she said.
She further claimed that the transfer of district election officers during the ongoing revision of electoral rolls appeared to be "driven by a clear mala fide intent", raising concerns about the disposal of pending cases.
Questioning the deployment of state police officers as observers in other poll-bound states, Banerjee termed the move "arbitrary" and "a misuse of authority", alleging it reflected "serious overreach" by the Commission.
The chief minister also warned that the sudden removal of senior officers could adversely impact governance, disaster response and law and order, particularly during the storm-prone months of March and April.
"Such biased, hasty and unilateral decisions are unprecedented and do not augur well for a healthy democracy. They undermine the spirit of cooperative federalism," she said.
Urging the poll panel to reconsider its decisions, Banerjee cautioned that such actions risk creating conditions akin to "an emergency or indirect central rule", which she described as "deeply concerning and unfortunate".
The elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly will be held in two phases - on April 23 and 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.