TMC calls EC's West Bengal official rejig 'panic reaction', Oppn hails reshuffle as 'step towards fair polls'

Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday called the EC's reshuffle of senior administrative and police officials in West Bengal a "panic reaction by a party that realises it cannot win elections through democratic means", while the opposition BJP and CPI(M) hailed the rejig as a "step towards free and fair polls".

After announcement of the poll schedule for West Bengal, the EC removed Chief Secretary Nandini Chakravorty, Home Secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena, DGP Peeyush Pandey and Kolkata Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar. It said the removed officials would not be given poll-related assignments. The poll panel said the decision was taken following a review of the poll preparedness of the state.

Addressing a press conference, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said that despite what he called "backdoor politics", the BJP would "fail to weaken the bond between the people of West Bengal and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee".

He said the BJP-led Centre may change governors or senior officials, but it does not have the power to change the minds of West Bengal's voters.

Ghosh also accused the BJP of using the EC as its "own wing" to carry out hurried transfers of top officials, including the state's chief secretary and the director general of police.

"Replace whoever you want to; you won't be able to replace CM Mamata Banerjee. She is the tigress of India and the more opposition tries to target her, the stronger the party will emerge," he said.

He said the EC has removed West Bengal's first woman chief secretary in an "arbitrary and undemocratic manner".

The TMC spokesperson also accused the Centre of withholding more than Rs 1.96 lakh crore of the state's dues, including funds for schemes such as MGNREGA, PMAY, and the Jal Jeevan Mission.

He said that despite the "withholding" of funds, the state government continues to provide social security benefits to the people from its own resources.

Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, told reporters, "I am happy that the EC has brought back officials who were sidelined and shunted by the Mamata Banerjee government as they did not toe her party line and acted against perpetrators of violence by TMC."

"Those efficient non-partisan IAS and IPS officials, who have integrity, had been given insignificant postings by the TMC regime. They have now been assigned important responsibilities and will be in charge of law and order to ensure smooth, fair and incident-free polls," he said.

Echoing him, BJP chief whip in the assembly, Shankar Ghosh alleged that a section of the state's bureaucracy had been functioning as an extension of the ruling TMC.

"Some IAS, IPS, and WBCS officers operate as if they are members of the TMC," he alleged.

Ghosh said the EC's intervention was vital for electoral integrity, adding that the move should serve as a warning to other officials.

"Those who needed to get a signal have received it," he remarked.

CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty, while noting that the EC routinely reshuffles officials during elections, said the West Bengal administration's conduct made such action particularly significant this time.

"The state of administration in West Bengal is such that an official can take off his uniform and immediately become a Rajya Sabha member of the TMC," he said, indicating former DGP Rajeev Kumar.

Chakraborty, however, stressed that the focus must remain on ensuring that voters are able to exercise their franchise freely.

"The question isn't just about who was moved or who was brought in; the most important thing is to ensure that people are able to cast their votes according to their own will," he said, urging the EC to maintain neutrality.