Within 24 hours of the publication of West Bengal’s final electoral list on February 28, two Senior Deputy Election Commissioners — Gyanesh Bharti and Maneesh Garg — are expected to land in Kolkata on March 1 to review poll preparations, Election Commission sources said. The poll schedule will be announced once these two officials return to New Delhi and submit their assessment reports, they added.
On Tuesday, the Commission had announced that it had decided to revise the SIR timetable in Bengal in compliance with the Supreme Court’s February 9 order. Hearings will now be conducted till February 14 while the last date for scrutinising uploaded documents and disposing of cases will be February 21, it said in a written communication to Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal.
The poll panel sources said that before the final rolls are published, it would have to be vetted by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) following “super checking” by Electoral Roll Observers and Special Roll Observers. Once the rolls are vetted by the CEO, they will be sent to Nirvachan Sadan for the approval of the EC. Another round of super checking will be conducted by Nirvachan Sadan before the final rolls are published on February 28.
Meanwhile, with an eye on the approaching elections, the Election Commission directed the transfer of senior West Bengal Government officials and police officers who have been serving in the same post or district for more than three years.
A senior official of the poll body confirmed the development on Wednesday.
According to the directive, the order will apply to District Magistrates, Additional District Magistrates, Block Development Officers, Sub-Divisional Officers and other district-level administrative authorities.
The instruction also covers senior police officers, including IGs, DIGs, SPs and additional SPs.
“The Election Commission (EC) has decided that officers who have completed over three years in a particular district or post must be transferred to ensure free and fair elections,” the senior EC official said.
Sources said officials posted at the State headquarters will be exempt from the transfer directive. The Commission has communicated the instructions to the Chief Secretary for immediate compliance.
The EC has also stated that officers who were posted as District Magistrates, Returning Officers or inspectors in a particular district during the last Assembly elections should not be posted in the same district for the upcoming polls.
“This is part of the standard practice adopted by the Commission to maintain administrative neutrality during elections,” the official added.
Officials of the poll body pointed out that such transfer policies form part of established norms followed before major elections across States.
The measures, they said, are aimed at creating a level playing field and strengthening the institutional framework for conducting elections transparently and impartially.
In another development, the EC has directed the DEOs and DMs to dispose of the enumeration forms in conformity with the order of the Supreme Court.
“EROs/ AEROs should be directed to strictly comply with the above timelines and directions of the Hon’ble SC while disposing off notice, claims and objections pertaining to SIR 2026. Deviations, if any, will be viewed very seriously and adverse inference shall be drawn against the concerned EROs/ AEROs,” the EC said.
The apex court in its order said: “The affected persons to whom notices have been served shall be entitled to rely on all or any of the documents referred to by the ECI in the SIR notice, and all such documents, including those referred to in our order dated 19.01.2026, shall be considered by the EROs when passing orders on the objections received in response to the notices served.”
