The ongoing tussle between the Election Commission (EC) and the ruling party in West Bengal has shifted to the corridors of the Calcutta High Court. TMC MP and senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee has moved the court against the EC’s recent order to transfer 267 officials, including BDOs, OCs, and ICs, within a single day. On Monday, a Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Sujoy Pal granted permission to file the case and allowed an urgent hearing scheduled for Tuesday.

The EC’s directive involves the shuffling of 83 Block Development Officers (BDOs) and Assistant Returning Officers (AROs) across various districts, ranging from Cooch Behar to Birbhum. These transfers were reportedly based on proposals from Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal. Challenging the move, Banerjee argued that such a large-scale administrative overhaul just before the polls is unprecedented and problematic.

Previously, a similar public interest litigation (PIL) regarding the transfer of IAS and IPS officers was heard, and the judgment remains reserved. While the EC maintains that it holds the supreme authority to shuffle officials for fair elections, the TMC views it as an attempt to destabilize the state administration. The legal fraternity and political analysts are now eagerly awaiting the High Court’s observation on this high-stakes petition.