Kolkata/New Delhi: A political storm erupted in the Rajya Sabha on Monday as Trinamool Congress (TMC) members staged a walkout, protesting the Election Commission’s sweeping administrative changes in West Bengal soon after the announcement of the Assembly election schedule.
The protest was spearheaded by senior TMC MP Derek O’Brien, who accused the Election Commission of overstepping its authority by carrying out late-night transfers of top officials in the state administration under the Model Code of Conduct.
“Transfers of official in the dead of night ‘unacceptable’.
EC is misusing its powers to damage elected govt in Bengal which is why TMC MPs have walked out of Parliament for the entire day to mark their protest.”
– TMC MP Sagarika Ghose pic.twitter.com/zcEpAoY1h9
— News Arena India (@NewsArenaIndia) March 16, 2026
Addressing the House before the walkout, O’Brien claimed that key bureaucratic positions in West Bengal were reshuffled abruptly, including the removal of the state’s Chief Secretary and Home Secretary. He alleged that while the Election Commission has the authority to enforce the poll code, the powers should not be used in a manner that undermines the state administration.
The controversy began late Sunday when the Election Commission ordered the removal of Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty and transferred Home Secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena. Dushyant Nariala was appointed as the new Chief Secretary, while Sanghamitra Ghosh was assigned the charge of Principal Secretary, Home and Hill Affairs.
The Commission further directed that Chakraborty and Meena would not be entrusted with any election-related responsibilities until the completion of the Assembly polls.
Soon after, the poll body also ordered a major reshuffle in the senior police leadership of the state. Siddh Nath Gupta has been appointed Director General and Inspector General of Police, while Natarajan Ramesh Babu will head the Correctional Services as Director General. Ajay Mukund Ranade has been posted as ADG and IGP (Law and Order), and Ajay Kumar Nand has been named the new Commissioner of Police for Kolkata.
The Election Commission instructed the state government to implement the orders immediately and submit a compliance report by Monday afternoon.
The administrative reshuffle follows the announcement of the West Bengal Assembly elections, which will be conducted in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with vote counting scheduled for May 4.
Meanwhile, another issue casting a shadow over the election process is the ongoing verification under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Judicial officers across West Bengal and nearby states are currently examining nearly 60 lakh forms linked to disputed or adjudicated entries.
The Supreme Court, during its recent hearing, directed the formation of an appellate bench to hear appeals related to the deletion of names from voter lists. With the election timetable now in place, concerns remain about whether the supplementary SIR list can be published before the deadline for filing nominations.
