Fourteen out of the fifteen West Bengal Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers summoned by the Election Commission (EC) attended the observer briefing in New Delhi. The EC had directed a total of 25 IAS and IPS officers from West Bengal to attend the central observer training sessions in preparation for the upcoming Assembly elections in several states.

The Election Commission's directive followed the rejection of a request from the West Bengal government seeking exemptions for some of these officers. The state government had sought replacements for nine IAS officers, including Home Secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena, citing that these officers were handling critical governance responsibilities. The government argued that their absence could disrupt ongoing administrative work, particularly in portfolios linked to law and order, internal administration, and coordination.

The EC, however, turned down the request. The decision was made after the state government had not responded to repeated requests from the poll panel to recommend officers for observer roles. Consequently, the EC finalized the list independently, including senior Bengal cadre officers. The Commission has warned that failure to attend the briefing would be viewed seriously and could lead to disciplinary action.

The state government had previously transferred or assigned additional responsibilities to three IAS officers—Smita Pandey, Asvini Kumar Yadav, and Randhir Kumar—who had been appointed by the EC as poll observers. The EC subsequently ordered the Chief Secretary to withdraw these transfer orders, emphasizing that no official involved in the election process should be transferred without prior approval from the Commission. The state government responded that the new assignments were "comparatively unimportant," allowing the officers to focus on election-related duties.