West Bengal Government Announces Major Bureaucratic Reshuffle
Kolkata: In a significant administrative shake-up, the West Bengal government has initiated a major bureaucratic reshuffle, transferring a substantial number of officials, including Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS) officers. The large-scale reshuffle involved the transfer of 64 IAS officers and 457 WBCS officers. The timing of this reshuffle, just ahead of the Election Commission of India's (ECI) anticipated announcement of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls from November 1, has raised eyebrows and sparked political debate.
The state government has transferred 10 District Magistrates (DMs). The districts that will have new DMs, who also act as District Election Officers, are North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Cooch Behar, Murshidabad, Purulia, Darjeeling, Malda, Birbhum, Jhargram, and East Midnapore.
Key transfers include Sharad Kumar Dwivedi, formerly DM of North 24 Parganas, who has been appointed as Secretary in the Health and Family Welfare Department. Sumit Gupta, the previous DM of South 24 Parganas, has been made the Municipal Commissioner of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). Shashank Sethi, previously MD of WBHIDCO, will now take charge as DM, North 24 Parganas. Arvind Kumar Mina, formerly DM of Cooch Behar, has been transferred to South 24 Parganas. Rajarshi Mitra, who was DM of Murshidabad, has been appointed MD of WBHIDCO. Rajat Nanda, DM Purulia, becomes Director of Tourism, Preeti Goyal, DM Darjeeling, moves to DM Malda, and Nitin Singhania will take charge as DM Murshidabad. Bidhan Roy, DM Birbhum, joins the Food and Supplies Department as Special Secretary.
According to officials, this reshuffle was a preemptive move, as administrative changes are typically restricted once the SIR process commences. The ECI is expected to announce the SIR schedules for states going to polls in 2026, including West Bengal. A senior official stated that the state government wanted to transfer DMs before the ECI could potentially move those who had been in their posts for over three years.
The state Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department announced the changes. The notifications for the transfers were issued on October 24, even though the lists were released on Monday. The reshuffle also encompasses officers on Special Duty (OSD), directors, special secretaries, additional district magistrates, and sub-divisional officers (SDOs). The Kolkata Municipal Corporation commissioner, Dhaval Jain, UR Ismail, special secretary in the state health department, Raju Mishra, special secretary in the state industry and commerce department, and Shashank Sethi, managing director of West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation, are also included in the list.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is an exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India to update the electoral rolls before the 2026 Assembly Elections in Bengal. The office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, has announced the immediate implementation of a two-tier daily electoral administration system following the SIR notification.
The reshuffle has evoked political reactions. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in the state have alleged that the move is a strategy to disrupt the SIR exercise. In contrast, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has downplayed these claims, describing the transfers as routine. TMC leader Shashi Panja has criticized the SIR exercise, calling it a politically motivated move and a potential "backdoor entry for NRC".
