West Bengal elections: EC transfers 19 senior police officers in fresh reshuffle ahead of polls | India News
New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday ordered the transfer of 19 senior police officers in West Bengal, marking the third consecutive day of such reshuffles in the election-bound state.The poll body has replaced ADG/IGPs of South and North Bengal regions, Commissioners of Police of Howrah, Barrackpore, Chandannagar and Asansol-Durgapur as well as 12 Superintendents of Police (SP) and one Deputy Commissioner (DC) across 13 districts.The first batch of reshuffles in the state’s top bureaucracy came hours after the ECI on Sunday announced the schedule for assembly elections in four states, including West Bengal and the union territory of Puducherry.On Monday afternoon, the second phase of transfer in the senior posts of the West Bengal Police took place. ECI is empowered under Article 324 of the Constitution to transfer officials directly involved in elections. Under it, the poll body has the power to “supervise, direct and control” the entire voting machinery of a state or union territory during elections.However, these transfers drew sharp criticism in Parliament from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which rules West Bengal. TMC MP Derek O’Brien announced a day-long walkout by party MPs from the Rajya Sabha to protest what he called “midnight transfers by the ECI”. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, however, insisted that the poll panel was exercising its constitutional mandate and accused the TMC of “regularly attacking constitutional bodies.“All the 294 assembly constituencies in West Bengal will be held in two phases – April 23 and 29 – polling in 152 and 142 constituencies respectively. Counting will be on May 4.
