Kolkata, March 30 – The Election Commission of India (ECI) removed four key officials from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, on Monday afternoon, including one holding the rank of Deputy CEO.
The Deputy CEO who has been removed is Subrata Pal, a 2005 batch officer of the West Bengal Civil Service (Executive). He has been transferred to the position of Senior Deputy Secretary in the West Bengal Health and Family Welfare Department.
At the same time, two Additional Secretaries and one Joint Secretary in the CEO's office have also been removed. The two Additional Secretaries who have been transferred are Narendra Nath Dutta and Supriya Das. The Joint Secretary who has been transferred is Mithu Sarkar.
However, their replacements have not yet been announced.
Meanwhile, Rahul Nath, a 2001 batch WBCS (Executive) officer and the former Additional Secretary to the Health and Family Welfare Department, has been transferred as Joint CEO of West Bengal.
Dutta has been transferred to the state Labour Department as Additional Secretary, while Das has been transferred to the state Food Processing Industries & Horticulture Department as Additional Secretary.
Sarkar has been transferred to the state Minority Affairs & Madrasah Education Department as Joint Secretary.
Sources within the CEO's office said that these removals were made based on the recommendations of Manoj Kumar Agarwal, the CEO of West Bengal.
Although the election dates have been announced and the Model Code of Conduct is in effect, the ECI has transferred several bureaucrats and police officers, from the highest levels to the lower levels of the administrative hierarchy. However, this is the first time that the CEO's office has come under the purview of such transfers and replacements.
Two public interest litigations have already been filed in the Calcutta High Court challenging such transfers, replacements, and the deputation of West Bengal bureaucrats and police officers to other states ahead of the upcoming two-phase Assembly elections in the state next month.
