West Bengal Govt Undertakes Massive Bureaucratic Overhaul: 64 IAS and 457 WBCS Officers Transferred Ahead of Election Commission’s Electoral Roll Revision
In a sweeping administrative reshuffle just days before the Election Commission of India (ECI) launches the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls on November 1, the West Bengal Government has reassigned 64 IAS officers — including 17 District Magistrates — along with 457 officers of the West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS).
According to officials, the large-scale transfers were executed preemptively, as once the SIR process begins, major administrative reshuffles are prohibited under ECI guidelines.
Strategic Reshuffle Ahead of SIR Announcement
The transfer orders were released late on Monday evening from the state secretariat Nabanna, just hours before the ECI’s scheduled press briefing in New Delhi, where the Commission is expected to outline SIR schedules for multiple states, including West Bengal.
Senior bureaucrats clarified that while the reshuffle was within procedural norms, its timing was intentional.
“The Election Commission was likely to transfer district magistrates who have completed over three years in their posts. The government acted beforehand to avoid any administrative or political controversy,” a senior official explained.
Major District Magistrate Changes
A number of senior IAS officers have been shifted to new key positions across major districts and departments:
Sharad Kumar Dwivedi, DM, North 24 Parganas → Appointed as Secretary, Health & Family Welfare Department.
Sumit Gupta, DM, South 24 Parganas → Becomes Municipal Commissioner, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).
Shashank Sethi, MD, WBHIDCO → Posted as DM, North 24 Parganas.
Arvind Kumar Mina, DM, Cooch Behar → Transferred to South 24 Parganas.
Rajarshi Mitra, DM, Murshidabad → Appointed MD, WBHIDCO.
Rajat Nanda, DM, Purulia → Becomes Director of Tourism.
Preeti Goyal, DM, Darjeeling → Transferred to DM, Malda.
Nitin Singhania → Takes charge as DM, Murshidabad.
Bidhan Roy, DM, Birbhum → Joins as Special Secretary, Food & Supplies Department.
The reshuffle also included key changes in districts such as Jhargram, East Midnapore, and others, marking an extensive administrative reorganization across Bengal.
Mass Transfers Among WBCS Officers
In parallel, the government has transferred 457 WBCS officers across various seniority levels — including Officers on Special Duty (OSD), Directors, Additional District Magistrates (ADMs), Special Secretaries, and Sub-Divisional Officers (SDOs).
Among the key postings:
Dhaval Jain, Commissioner, Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
U.R. Ismail, Special Secretary, Health Department.
Raju Mishra, Special Secretary, Industry & Commerce Department.
Officials confirmed that although the orders were released on October 27, they were formally dated October 24, signaling the state’s effort to complete the exercise before the ECI’s notification.
Separate lists detail the appointments and transfers of 164, 151, 91, 21, and 30 WBCS (Exe) officers across different administrative categories such as ADMs and SDOs.
Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to Begin November 1
The Election Commission’s SIR exercise will begin on November 1, aimed at updating electoral rolls in preparation for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly Elections.
All District Election Officers (DEOs) and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) have been instructed to set up help desks for voter list verification and corrections. Following the ECI’s announcement, a multi-party meeting will be convened to brief political representatives on the SIR procedures.
Political Reactions: TMC vs BJP
The reshuffle has triggered contrasting political reactions.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has announced a large protest rally in Kolkata on November 2, to be led by National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, branding the SIR as a “targeted exercise.”
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has described the SIR as “a disguised form of NRC,” alleging that it is intended to remove genuine voters from Bengal’s electoral rolls.
Conversely, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has welcomed the ECI’s initiative.
“This revision will eliminate over a crore fake voters and ensure cleaner elections,” a BJP leader stated.
Administrative Significance and Political Undercurrent
Analysts view the reshuffle as a preemptive administrative strategy, designed to ensure continuity in governance and minimize Election Commission interference once the electoral revision process begins.
With the 2026 Assembly elections approaching, the bureaucratic reshuffle and political mobilizations mark the beginning of an intense electoral season in West Bengal — where every administrative move is now being closely watched for its political implications.
