Key Points
The Election Commission removed 73 Returning Officers in West Bengal ahead of Assembly elections scheduled for 23 April and 29 April.
A petition in the Calcutta High Court has challenged the transfer of 79 senior bureaucrats and police officials, calling the move arbitrary and unprecedented.
The ECI defended its actions, stating transfers were based on ground level requirements to ensure free and fair elections. Meanwhile, the state government argued that the move would impact administratio and governance ahead of polls.
The Election Commission (ECI) removed 73 Returning Officers in poll bound West Bengal late on 23 March 2026, in a move that has intensified an ongoing confrontation between the poll body and the state government ahead of Assembly elections scheduled for April 2026.
West Bengal has 294 Assembly constituencies, with one Returning Officer typically appointed for each constituency. With the removal of 73 officers, nearly 26% of the Returning Officers in the state have now been replaced.
The latest reshuffle comes amid an already escalating dispute between the ECI and the state government over the sudden transfer of 79 senior bureaucrats and police officials on 15 March 2026. Among those transferred earlier were former Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty, former state Home Secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena, acting Director General of Police Peeyush Pandey, and former Kolkata Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar.
The developments have triggered political tensions, with the ruling Trinamool Congress raising objections over the scale and timing of the transfers.
A PIL filed in Calcutta High Court challenged the ECI’s decision to suddenly transfer senior officials. During the preliminary hearing on 23 March 2026, the petitioner argued that the scale of transfers was unprecedented and risked disrupting governance.
Senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee, representing the petitioner, told the court that the transfers began mere hours after the notification was issued. He further questioned whether the ECI could exercise its powers under Article 324 of the Constitution in an ‘arbitrary manner’. The petitioner argued that such large scale transfers could create an administrative vacuum and hamper governance in the state.
Banerjee also pointed out that during the 2021 Assembly elections, around 15 officers were transferred, whereas the current reshuffle involved 79 officials. He warned that continued transfers could affect state administration, especially in case of emergencies or disasters.
The petition also alleged that the transfers constituted a “wholesale dismantling” of the state’s administrative machinery and questioned whether the ECI had crossed its jurisdictional limits. The petitioner further claimed that officers removed from election duties in West Bengal were deployed in other states for election related work, raising questions about the rationale behind the decisions.
The ECI defended its actions during the hearing, stating that transfers of officers vary from state to state depending on ground level requirements. Counsel for the Commission argued that while the poll body does not possess unbridled powers, it has the authority to take necessary decisions to ensure that elections are free, fair and violence free.
It also informed the court that similar transfers had been carried out in other poll bound states and Union Territories, and that decisions were based on prevailing conditions in each state. The Commission further submitted details of bureaucrats and police officers transferred, replaced or sent on deputation in other states to support its position.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also criticised the transfers, calling them a “deliberate design to seize control of West Bengal” and describing the situation as resembling an “undeclared emergency”. Banerjee had earlier approached the Supreme Court, arguing that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is being carried out by the ECI in a politically motivated manner.
The division bench of Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen scheduled the next hearing for 25 March 2026.
The removal of 73 Returning Officers adds a new dimension to the ongoing dispute. Returning Officers play a crucial role in managing constituency level election processes, including nomination scrutiny, polling arrangements and counting procedures.
With nearly one fourth of Returning Officers replaced, the decision has drawn attention to the ECI’s strategy for managing elections in the politically sensitive state.
The controversy also comes amid broader debates about the ECI’s powers during elections. Article 324 of the Constitution grants the Commission authority over the superintendence, direction and control of elections, including administrative decisions involving officers engaged in poll duties.
West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in two phases on 23 April and 29 April 2026, with heightened political activity already underway. With legal proceedings ongoing and political tensions rising, the dispute over administrative transfers and the removal of Returning Officers is likely to shape the electoral environment in West Bengal in the coming weeks.
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