EC tightens grip on Bengal polls with strategic officer transfers

KOLKATA: (Mar 19) The Election Commission on Wednesday intensified preparations for the West Bengal Assembly elections, ordering a fresh reshuffle of senior officers, posting two secretaries to other poll-bound states as observers, and deploying 13 IAS and five IPS officers in key poll management roles, an official said.

Priyanka Shingla, special secretary of the civil defence and disaster management department, and P Mohan Gandhi, secretary of industries, commerce and enterprises, were sent to other states as election observers, he said.

In a parallel order, 13 IAS officers were appointed district magistrates (DMs), who will also serve as district election officers (DEOs), placing them at the centre of poll supervision.