West Bengal Assembly Polls: Trinamool Congress Protests Election Commission's Transfer of Officials

Kolkata: The political atmosphere in West Bengal has reached a crescendo ahead of the assembly polls. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is on a rampage with the Election Commission of India (ECI) transferring over 250 government officials in one go on Sunday. TMC MP and lawyer Kalyan Banerjee filed a petition in the Calcutta High Court on Monday against these transfers. The matter is likely to be heard in the Chief Justice's court on Tuesday, which could give a new twist to the Bengal electionsOfficers changed in Banerjee's strongholdsOfficers-in-Charge (OC) of 174 police stations and 83 Block Development Officers (BDO) transferred by the Election Commission, including in the high-profile Bhabanipur seat from where Banerjee herself is a candidate. Mamata has alleged that her administrative powers are being usurped at the behest of the BJP. TMC has raised serious questions over the neutrality of the commission over the appointment of new officers, especially in sensitive areas like Nandigram and Bhabanipur.