As the 2026 West Bengal Assembly Elections nears, a day after the announcement of the poll schedule, the Election Commission (EC) on Monday replaced Peeyush Pandey and appointed senior IPS officer Siddh Nath Gupta as the director general of police.
The poll panel also replaced Kolkata Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar with Ajay Kumar Nand. The Election Commission stated that the decision to remove the officers came after a review of the state's poll preparedness.
An official communication further indicated that the poll panel instructed the state government to appoint Siddh Nath Gupta as Director General and Inspector General of Police (in-charge), while Natarajan Ramesh Babu has been appointed Director General of Correctional Services.
Assembly Elections 2026: BJP eyes gains in polls to five assemblies; West Bengal main challengeIt also ordered the posting of Ajay Mukund Ranade as Additional Director General and IGP (Law and Order) and Ajay Kumar Nand as Commissioner of Kolkata Police.
PTI quoted an official saying, "The commission directed that the orders be implemented immediately and asked the state government to submit a compliance report by 3 pm on Monday."
The EC also said those transferred should not be posted in any election-related assignment till the completion of the polls.
State's ruling party, Trinamool Congress, staged a day-long walkout from the Rajya Sabha on Monday, protesting the Election Commission's decision to remove the state's top bureaucrats.
(With PTI inputs)