ECI reshuffles 13 IAS officers in West Bengal, appoints DM-cum-DEOs ahead of Assembly polls

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday (March 18, 2026) ordered a reshuffle of 13 IAS officers in poll-bound West Bengal, appointing several district magistrates (DMs), who have also been designated as District Election Officers (DEOs) and entrusted with key responsibilities as poll observers.

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According to an official communication issued by the poll body, officers including Jitin Yadav (Cooch Behar), Sandeep Ghosh (Jalpaiguri), Vivek Kumar (Uttar Dinajpur), Rajanvir Singh Kapur (Malda) and R. Arjun (Murshidabad) have been posted as DM-cum-DEOs.

Similarly, Srikant Palli has been appointed DM-cum-DEO of Nadia, Sweta Agarwal in Purba Bardhaman, Shilpa Gorisaria in North 24 Parganas, Abhishek Kumar Tiwary in South 24 Parganas, Harishankar Panicker in Darjeeling and T. Balasubramanian in Alipurduar.

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Smita Pandey has been posted as Municipal Commissioner of Kolkata Municipal Corporation and DEO of Kolkata North, while Randhir Kumar will serve as DEO of Kolkata South.

“These officers will play a crucial role in ensuring free, fair and transparent elections. Many of them will also function in observer capacities to closely monitor poll preparedness and conduct at the district level,” a senior Election Commission official said.

The commission said the directions are to be implemented with immediate effect and a compliance report on the joining of the officers must be submitted by 3 p.m. on March 19.

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It also directed that officers transferred out should not be posted in any election-related assignments till the completion of the electoral process.