Kolkata, 25 March (H.S.): A political controversy has erupted in West Bengal ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections over recent administrative reshuffles, with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) lodging a formal complaint with the Election Commission regarding the appointment of a new Returning Officer for the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency.

The party has objected to the appointment of Surajit Roy as the Returning Officer, alleging that he is a close associate of Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari. The TMC has questioned the neutrality of the appointment and urged the Commission to look into the matter.

The Election Commission has announced that the West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29. Since the announcement, several administrative changes have been undertaken in the state. On the very night the poll schedule was declared, the state’s Chief Secretary and Home Secretary were removed from their posts. Recently, the Commission also ordered the replacement of 73 Returning Officers, with new officials being appointed in their place.

As part of this exercise, the Returning Officer of the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency in Kolkata was also replaced. The seat holds political significance as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been contesting from Bhabanipur for a long time and is again the TMC candidate from the constituency.

Following the appointment of Surajit Roy, the TMC approached the Election Commission alleging his proximity to Suvendu Adhikari and expressing concerns about possible bias. The party has demanded that the Commission ensure transparency and impartiality in the electoral process.

Notably, Suvendu Adhikari is contesting the upcoming elections from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur constituencies, adding to the political sensitivity surrounding the issue.

West Bengal has a total of 294 Assembly constituencies, each overseen by a Returning Officer responsible for key electoral processes, including the acceptance of nominations and supervision of polling arrangements. Most of the 73 replaced Returning Officers are reported to be Sub-Divisional Officers (SDO) rank officials.

The Election Commission has not yet issued any official response regarding the complaint.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh