EC’s Decision to Transfer Chief Secretary, DGP Sparks Political Outrage in Delhi

Speaking to reporters at the Parliament House complex, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that civil servants are routinely dismissed in states where the BJP is not in power.

“Whenever elections are held and if the state government is not led by the ruling party in Delhi, the first thing they do is to remove the DGP and the general secretary. The BJP leaders must have deliberately removed these officers by coordinating with the Central government and the Election Commission,” he alleged.

Referring to Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP is in power, Yadav questioned why similar measures were not taken there during the elections.

Claiming that the poll body was acting on the orders of the BJP, Yadav said, “DGP was never removed during the elections in Uttar Pradesh. Despite many complaints to the Election Commission, no action was taken. Even the officers whose family members participated in the elections were not dismissed.” he said.

The Election Commission on Sunday announced that elections for 294 Assembly seats in West Bengal will be held in two phases, April 23 and April 29, and counting will be done on May 4.

Trinamool Congress leaders also criticized the poll panel’s move, with party MP Sougata Roy calling it “wrong” and a step against West Bengal. Another Trinamool MP Kirti Azad alleged that the poll body was functioning as an “extended arm of the BJP”.

TMC’s Rajya Sabha member Sagarika Ghose alleged that the early transfers showed that the Election Commission was “misusing” its powers to harm the elected government in West Bengal.

“The way the Election Commission transferred the Bengal home minister and chief secretary at 4 am shows that it misused its powers to harm the elected government in Bengal. We raised this issue in the Parliament and sent the Parliament on strike for the entire day,” he said.

Ghose also claimed that around 50 lakh people in the state were on the “decision list” and could be denied their right to vote. “The Election Commission is clearly acting in a partisan manner. This will not work and the people of Bengal will give a befitting response,” he said.

Union Minister Giriraj Singh hit back, saying constitutional institutions are the greatest strength of India’s democracy and accused opposition parties of trying to weaken them.

He also lashed out at the Trinamool, saying: “TMC has no future in West Bengal. They can shout all they want but people will not let Bengal become Bangladesh.”

Former Union minister and BJP MP Anurag Thakur also criticized the opposition parties, especially the Congress, for allegedly damaging India’s reputation and undermining democratic institutions.

“This is not the first time that there has been a change of civil servants during the elections. The Election Commission always changed officers when it deemed necessary,” he said.

Accusing the opposition of focusing on disrupting order rather than constructive participation in Parliament, Thakur claimed that its leaders frequently question constitutional bodies, including the judiciary and the Election Commission.

“The opposition’s job has now become to create conflict and obstruction in Parliament. Rahul Gandhi is trying to start a new propaganda narrative every day,” he alleged.

BJP national spokesperson Prem Shukla said it was the Election Commission’s responsibility to conduct free and fair elections.

“In such a situation, the transfer of officials accused of working entirely in favor of the Trinamool Congress during Mamata Banerjee’s government is part of the Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct. In this case, why does one feel aggrieved when the Model Code of Conduct is implemented?” Addressing a press conference here, Shukla said:

Responding to a question as to why senior officials were appointed quickly after the election schedule was announced, Shukla said that it was the Election Commission’s duty to appoint only those officials who could ensure that the elections were held impartially.

“The commission is fulfilling its responsibility. Why does Mamata Banerjee need to make a fuss about this?” he asked.

Just a few hours after the Bengal Assembly poll schedule was announced, the Election Commission suspended two senior bureaucrats, including Mamata Banerjee administration’s Principal Secretary Nandini Chakravorty.

The commission appointed Dushyant Nariala, a 1993-batch IAS officer, as principal secretary and said Chakravorty would be kept away from poll-related duties. The poll panel also suspended the home minister and the state police chief.