In a dramatic escalation ahead of West Bengal’s 2026 assembly polls, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has penned a scathing letter to Election Commission chief Gyanesh Kumar, protesting the abrupt transfer of senior bureaucrats. The moves, targeting the state’s top administrative and police brass, have been labeled as arbitrary and a departure from convention.
The Election Commission’s directives, dated March 15 and 16, 2026, came hot on the heels of the poll schedule announcement. Officials like the Chief Secretary, Secretary for Home and Hill Affairs, DGP, and multiple IG-rank officers face reassignment without cited reasons of electoral malpractice or oversight.
Banerjee’s missive invokes Article 324 of the Constitution, read with relevant sections of the Representation of the People Acts, affirming the ECI’s superintendence over election-duty personnel. Yet, she stresses the Commission’s long-standing practice of consulting state governments by soliciting panels of suitable replacements—a protocol followed in prior elections to respect federal sensibilities.
The timing couldn’t be more suspect, Banerjee contends. ‘Hours after the election press release, our administrative pillars were uprooted without consultation or panel requests, flouting traditions that have sustained smooth ECI-state coordination,’ she stated. This, she warns, strikes at the heart of cooperative federalism and constitutional governance.
Calling on the ECI to avoid unilateralism, Banerjee cautions against actions that could tarnish the poll body’s revered status. The letter arrives amid heightened political temperatures, with Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress facing a resurgent BJP opposition. Analysts see this as a preemptive move to frame the narrative of central overreach in state affairs.
As legal and political battles loom, the episode underscores ongoing friction between state leaders and the ECI, reminiscent of disputes in recent national polls. Stakeholders await the Commission’s response, which could set precedents for election conduct nationwide.