Kolkata: The West Bengal government has transferred 64 senior officials, including Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS) officers, ahead of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The reshuffle, carried out last week, affects several key administrative posts across the state.
According to officials, the transfers include Officers on Special Duty (OSD), directors, special secretaries, district magistrates, additional district magistrates, and sub-divisional officers. “The transfer orders were issued on October 24, and the official lists were released on Monday,” a senior official at the state secretariat said.
Among those transferred are Kolkata Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dhaval Jain; UR Ismail, Special Secretary in the Health Department; Raju Mishra, Special Secretary in the Industry and Commerce Department; and Shashank Sethi, Managing Director of the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation.
District magistrates of several key districts, including North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Cooch Behar, Murshidabad, Purulia, Darjeeling, Malda, Birbhum, Jhargram, and East Midnapore, have also been moved.
The reshuffle comes as the Election Commission prepares to roll out the SIR exercise in 12 states and union territories, including West Bengal, which is due for Assembly elections in 2026.
Opposition parties, however, have criticised the timing of the move. BJP leader Sajal Ghosh alleged that the transfers were politically motivated and aimed at influencing the SIR process. “The ruling party knows the SIR could expose irregularities in the voter lists. This transfer exercise appears to be an attempt to disrupt the process,” he said.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) rejected the allegations, calling the reshuffle routine. “Transfers of officers happen every year. The BJP is unnecessarily politicising a normal administrative process,” said TMC spokesperson Debangshu Bhattacharya. “The TMC depends on people’s support, not on officials, to win elections.”
Officials said all transferred officers are expected to take charge of their new assignments within the next few days.
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