WB Govt Transfers 457 Civil Servants Including 17 DMs Prior to ECI’s SIR Press Conference, Eyebrows Raised!

Only hours before the Election Commission of India's (ECI) crucial press conference announcing the date for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, the West Bengal government conducted a massive administrative overhaul. In this out of the regular exercise, 64 IAS and West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS) officials, 17 of them district magistrates have been transferred to new assignments, affecting the administration at the state and district levels.

Strategic Timing: More Than Routine?

While the state government described these transfers as routine, sources indicate the timing was not coincidental. Top officials indicated that the ECI typically tends to shift district magistrates who have served at the same location for three years or longer as a matter of election procedure. In anticipation of this, and possibly to dodge controversy, the state resolved to carry out the reshuffle prior to the ECI doing so on its own, causing a significant ripple in administrative quarters.

Important Transfers and New Appointments

The reshuffle includes a few high-profile officials being given new assignments:

• Sharad Kumar Dwivedi, earlier DM North 24 Parganas, becomes secretary in the Health and Family Welfare Department.
• Sumit Gupta, DM South 24 Parganas, becomes Municipal Commissioner of Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
• Shashank Sethi, earlier MD of WBHIDCO, becomes DM North 24 Parganas.
• Arvind Kumar Mina shifted from DM Cooch Behar to DM South 24 Parganas
• Rajarshi Mitra, DM Murshidabad, joins as MD WBHIDCO.
• Rajat Nanda, DM Purulia, is appointed Director of Tourism
• Preeti Goyal, the earlier DM Darjeeling, is made DM Malda; and Nitin Singhania is posted as DM Murshidabad.
• Bidhan Roy, DM Birbhum, has been transferred to the Food and Supplies Department as social secretary.

Eyebrows Raised: Political Reactions and Allegations

Senior BJP functionary and former state chief Rahul Sinha claimed that this was "not a routine transfer" but part of a planned move in the wake of SIR's announcement soon. He alleged these magistrates had been occupying their posts for years, and transfers were being effected to rescue the state government from ECI scrutiny and potential embarrassment.

Earlier Action following ECI Directions

There have been tensions between the state government and ECI. On August 22, four officials two Electoral Registration Officers and two Assistant Electoral Registration Officers were suspended by Bengal on directions from the ECI over charges of fraudulent entries in the voters' lists in Baruipur Purba and Moyna constituencies. A data operator was also suspended earlier for the same irregularities.

Nutshell: A Preemptive Shift Before Electoral Reforms

The Bengal government’s decision to transfer 64 IAS and 457 civil service officers including key district magistrates just before ECI’s SIR announcement displays the high stakes and administrative just ahead of the 2026 polls. As ECI gears up to roll out election reforms, the impact of this reshuffle will be closely monitored, triggering both governance changes and political debate.