Election Commission Reshuffles Officials Ahead of Assembly Elections

Ahead of the assembly elections, the Election Commission has decided to make a major reshuffle in the administrative level in the state. The DM of East Midnapore has been removed in the wake of allegations of illegalities. At the same time, there has also been a change in the responsibilities of Additional DCs and Returning Officers in several districts, which has sparked fresh speculation in political circles. The DM of East Midnapore, Unish Rishin Ismail, has been accused of recruiting contractual workers before the elections. The matter is considered serious as such appointments are prohibited in the conduct of elections according to the rules of the Election Commission. Niranjan Kumar has been appointed as the new DM in his place. Observers consider this change to be politically significant in the district of Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in the state. However, the Election Commission has changed the responsibilities of five additional DCs in five other districts on the same day. Tejashwi Rana, the special secretary of the state government working in North 24 Parganas, has been made the Retiring Officer of Bhatpara Assembly, while the additional district magistrate of Lakshmipur, Rohan Mukundar, has been sent to Bankura as the Retiring Officer.