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The Election Commission has ordered a major reshuffle of police personnel across West Bengal, transferring officers-in-charge and inspectors-in-charge of 173 police stations, including 31 under Kolkata Police, in a bid to ensure free and fair Assembly elections, officials said.

The changes cover several politically sensitive constituencies, including Bhabanipur in Kolkata and Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district.

Which Districts Saw Reshuffling?

As part of the overhaul, inspectors and sub-inspectors serving as ICs and OCs in districts such as Cooch Behar, Malda, Murshidabad, Birbhum, Paschim Medinipur, Howrah, and North and South 24 Parganas have been shifted.

According to official orders, Soumitra Basu, who was earlier with the Special Task Force (STF), has been appointed as the new IC of Bhabanipur police station.

The Bhabanipur seat is expected to witness a high-profile contest, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee facing her former aide-turned-political rival Suvendu Adhikari, making it one of the most closely watched constituencies in the state.

Several other police station heads in Kolkata, including those in Alipore, Ekbalpore, Haridevpur, Entally, Jorasanko, Gariahat, New Market, Bowbazar, Tollygunge, Amherst Street, Taratala, and Behala, have also been transferred.

New Roles Ahead Of Elections

In additional postings, Debdulal Mondal has been named IC of Haldia, Kajal Dutta will head Kolaghat, Susanta Chattopadhyay has been moved from Alipurduar to Egra, and Chandrakanta Shasmal has been appointed OC of Patashpur.

In a parallel move, the Commission has also transferred 14 block development officers (BDOs) in Purba Medinipur, including officials posted in Nandigram I and II blocks.

Officials said the large-scale transfers are aimed at maintaining administrative neutrality and reducing local influence during the election process.

Earlier in the day, the poll body had also shifted 83 block development officers and assistant returning officers across 18 districts.

The reshuffle spans multiple regions, from Dinhata-II in Cooch Behar to Diamond Harbour-I and II in South 24 Parganas, and includes blocks such as Ramnagar, Nandigram I and II, Nanoor, Labhpur, Suri-I, Mohammad Bazar, Ilambazar, and Mayureswar-I.

Districts impacted by the transfers include Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, North and South Dinajpur, Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, East and West Midnapore, Purulia, Bankura, East and West Burdwan, and Birbhum.

A senior official said the directive was issued from the Election Commission’s New Delhi office.

The move comes amid ongoing tensions between the state government and the Centre over the transfer of officials ahead of elections. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has repeatedly alleged that such actions are politically driven.

Polling for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be conducted in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with counting scheduled for May 4.