- Just hours after the Bengal poll dates were announced, the poll body ordered the removal of top bureaucrats
- The state will vote in two phases: April 23, April 29. The votes will be counted on May 4
- Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will hit the streets in protest at 4 pm
Just hours after the West Bengal poll dates were announced, the Election Commission ordered the removal of top bureaucrats in the state, including Chief Secretary Nandini Chakravorty, of the Mamata Banerjee-led government.
The state will vote in two phases: April 23, April 29. The votes will be counted on May 4.
The poll body's move has prompted a sharp response from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who will hit the streets in protest at 4 pm on Monday.
The commission appointed Dushyant Nariala, an IAS officer of the 1993 batch, as the state's chief secretary, and said Chakravorty would be kept out of poll-related assignments.
The state top cop, Peeyush Pandey, has been replaced by Siddh Nath Gupta and the Kolkata Police Commissioner, Supratim Sarkar, has been replaced by Ajay Kumar Nand.
The poll panel also removed West Bengal's Home Secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena.
In a letter to the state government sent on Sunday night, the poll panel also directed the appointment of Sanghamitra Ghosh, a 1997-batch IAS officer, as principal secretary, Home and Hill Affairs.
"...the officers transferred out shall not be posted in any election-related posts till the completion of elections," the communication, signed by commission secretary Sujeet Kr Mishra, said.
Trinamool Congress staged a day-long walkout from the Rajya Sabha today, protesting the Election Commission's decision to remove the state's top bureaucrats.
"In the dead of night, the chief secretary, the principal secretary and the home secretary have been removed by the EC. They have all the power to do it," Trinamool MP Derek O'Brien said, adding that his party was walking out for the day in protest.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, however, said that the Election Commission was a constitutional authority and that questioning its decisions on the floor of the House was neither appropriate nor productive.
Trinamool MP Shatabdi Roy alleged that the rival BJP is "misusing government resouces" to win elections.
"The BJP is using all tactics to win the elections. It is misusing government resources. The Chief Secretary was removed for this reason. The public is with the Trinamool," said the Trinamool MP.
The poll body said the decision to remove the officers was taken following a review of the poll preparedness of the state.
The poll panel said its directions are to be implemented with immediate effect, and asked for a report of the joining of the two officers in their respective offices by 3 pm on Monday.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, in his press conference yesterday, had assured that elections in West Bengal would be violence free and peaceful.
In pursuance of this objective, the poll body said it transferred senior police officials of Bengal, including the Directorate General of Police of Bengal & Commissioner of Police Kolkata.
