Kolkata, March 19: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has appointed two Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers from the West Bengal cadre as central observers for elections in other states.
Among the appointed officials is Priyanka Singla, a 2012 batch IAS officer currently serving as the Special Secretary in the state’s Department of Civil Defence and Disaster Management.
The second officer, P. Mohan Gandhi, belongs to the 2004 batch and is currently the Secretary in the Department of Commerce and Industry in West Bengal.
Earlier in the day, the Election Commission also decided to appoint Antara Acharya, Secretary of the Public Works Department (PWD), and Parvez Ahmed Siddiqui, Secretary of Food Processing, as central observers in other election-bound states. However, both Siddiqui and Acharya requested the Commission to reconsider this decision, citing administrative responsibilities in their respective departments.
On March 17, the then Home Secretary of West Bengal, Jagdish Prasad Meena, was transferred to serve as a central election observer in Tamil Nadu by the Commission.
On the night of the announcement of polling dates, the Commission removed the then Chief Secretary of West Bengal, Nandini Chakraborty, from her position and barred her from participating in the state’s election process.
Dushyant Nariyala was appointed in Chakraborty’s place, while Shonghamitra Ghosh replaced Meena. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticized the removal of Chakraborty and Meena and expressed her objections in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
Elections in West Bengal will take place in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with results to be announced on May 4.
My name is Bhupendra Singh Chundawat. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including technology, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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