Immediately following the announcement of the West Bengal Assembly election schedule, the Election Commission has executed a major administrative reshuffle. Piyush Pandey has been removed as the state’s DGP, with Siddharthnath Gupta taking charge as the new acting DGP and IGP. Furthermore, Supratim Sarkar has been replaced as the Kolkata Police Commissioner by IPS officer Ajay Nand.

The overhaul extends to several key police positions. IPS officer Ajay Mukund Ranade (1995 batch) has been appointed as the ADG and IGP (Law and Order), while Natarajan Ramesh Babu (1991 batch) has been assigned the role of DG. The new Police Commissioner, Ajay Nand, brings extensive experience from his previous roles in counter-Maoist operations and as the Commissioner of the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate.

The civil administration has also seen significant changes. Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty and Home Secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena have been relieved of their duties. The Commission has mandated that they cannot be involved in any election-related work until the process concludes. Dushyant Nariwala and Sanghamitra Ghosh have been appointed as the new Chief Secretary and Home Secretary, respectively, with instructions to assume charge by 3:00 PM today.

Notably, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar officially announced the election schedule from Vigyan Bhawan, Delhi, yesterday. The West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, covering 152 and 142 constituencies respectively. These administrative measures are aimed at ensuring a fair and impartial electoral process across the state.