Kolkata, 19 March (H.S.): In a significant administrative move ahead of the two-phase West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled next month, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has cancelled the alternative postings given by the state government to 15 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers and decided to depute them outside the state as police observers in poll-bound regions.

In a late-night notification issued on Wednesday, the Commission made it clear that officers who had been removed from election-related responsibilities cannot be accommodated in other positions within the state during the election period.

The IPS officers sent outside the state include Akash Magharia, Alok Rajoria, Amandeep, Abhijit Banerjee, Bhaskar Mukherjee, C. Sudhakar, Dhritiman Sarkar, Indira Mukherjee, Muralidhar, Mukesh, Praveen Kumar Tripathi, Priyabrata Roy, Sandeep Karra, Rashid Munir Khan and Syed Wakar Raza.

Among them, Muralidhar was serving as Commissioner of Police of the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, while Syed Wakar Raza was posted as Commissioner of Police of Siliguri Metropolitan Police.

Opposition parties in the state, particularly the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had been demanding that officers removed from election-related duties should be sent outside the state until the completion of the polling process to prevent any possible influence on the electoral process.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had objected to the transfers, alleging that the Election Commission acted without consulting the state government. She had also written to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar expressing her dissatisfaction over the matter.

The West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in two phases. Polling for 152 seats will take place on April 23, while voting for the remaining 142 seats will be conducted on April 29.

The Election Commission’s latest decision is being seen as a major step towards ensuring a free, fair and transparent electoral process in the state.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh