Kolkata — The Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal has carried out one of its largest one-day administrative reorganisations, transferring a total of 527 officers across various cadres. The move coincides with the upcoming implementation of the nationwide special summary revision (SSR) of electoral rolls.
Though the transfer orders are dated October 24, the postings were uploaded in stages on the official portal of the state government—some before, others after, the Election Commission of India (EC) announced the SSR exercise for the state.
Of the total, 61 officers from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and 145 from the West Bengal Civil Service (Executive) (WBCS-Ex) had their transfers published in the first half of the day. This was followed by relocation orders for six more IAS officers and 315 additional WBCS officers, which appeared online shortly after the EC’s briefing.
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According to official sources quoted by PTI, these transfers position key functionaries ahead of the SSR, which in West Bengal is scheduled to run from November 4 to December 4, with draft electoral rolls slated for release on December 9 and the final list on February 7. From the date the schedule is formally notified, any further transfer of officers will require EC approval.
Key Postings
The transfer list includes changes at senior levels: 14 district magistrates (DMs), several special secretaries, officers on special duty (OSDs), and numerous additional district magistrates (ADMs) and sub-divisional officers (SDOs) have been reassigned. Notable appointments include:
- Shashank Sethi, former MD of HIDCO, appointed DM of North 24 Parganas.
- Rajarshi Mitra, DM of Murshidabad, moved to Sethi’s former position.
- Dhaval Jain, Commissioner of KMC, posted as DM of Birbhum.
- Sumit Gupta, transferred from South 24 Parganas to replace Jain.
- Others include senior secretaries and DMs posted across districts such as Purulia, Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Malda, Hooghly and Dakshin Dinajpur.
Political Fallout
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken aim at the timing of this mass transfer, calling it a “last-minute bulk transfer” intended to disrupt the SSR process. According to BJP leader Sajal Ghosh, “CM Mamata Banerjee is sensing trouble for her party once this exercise is successfully completed … hence she is trying everything in her hand to disturb the process by making such transfers.”
In response, the ruling Trinamool Congress dismissed the allegations as unfounded, calling the transfers “routine government business”. Their IT cell chief, Debangshu Bhattacharya, said: “Such transfers take place in the government as a routine measure across the year. There’s no reason why one should draw a connection between this and the SSR announcement. This is opposition for opposition’s sake.”
Given that further transfers during the SSR period require EC approval, this shake-up significantly reshuffles district and senior level postings just ahead of the electoral exercise. Observers note that the scale and timing are unusual in their concentration and synchronization with the SSR schedule. Whether this will influence administrative efficiency or electoral integrity remains to be seen.