ECI transfers 13 District Magistrates ahead of Bengal polls

Kolkata — The Election Commission of India has ordered the transfer of 13 IAS officers serving as District Magistrates (DMs) and District Electoral Officers (DEOs) in poll-bound West Bengal, as part of its preparations for the upcoming elections.

According to the notification, several key districts have been reshuffled. Jitin Jadav has been appointed DM-cum-DEO of Cooch Behar, while Sandeep Ghosh will take charge in Jalpaiguri. Vivek Kumar has been posted in North Dinajpur, and Rajanveer Singh Kapur will head Malda district.

In sensitive regions, R. Arjun has been assigned Murshidabad, while Srikant Palli will oversee Nadia. Sweta Agarwal has been posted in East Burdwan.

In Kolkata, Smita Pandey will serve as Municipal Commissioner of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and DEO for Kolkata (Uttar), while Randhir Kumar will be DEO for Kolkata (Dakshin).

For districts surrounding the city, Silpa Gourisaria has been appointed in North 24 Parganas, and Abhishek Kumar Tiwary in South 24 Parganas. Meanwhile, Harishankar Panicker will head Darjeeling, and T. Balasubramanian has been posted in Alipurduar.

Earlier in the day, the poll body also transferred five IPS officers holding the rank of Deputy Inspector General (DIG), continuing its broader administrative reshuffle.

The transfers come after the announcement of a two-phase polling schedule in the state next month. Officials indicated that the reshuffle is being carried out in phases, beginning with top bureaucrats and senior police officers, and now moving to mid-level officials such as DMs and DIGs.

Further transfers are expected at lower administrative levels, including additional district magistrates, sub-divisional officers, and block development officers, as well as junior police officials, in the coming days.

With inputs from IANS