Kolkata, April 3: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has formally addressed a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, raising serious concerns regarding the alleged biased postings of officials amidst the ongoing West Bengal Assembly elections.
In the letter issued by TMC’s Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien, he stated, “I am writing this complaint on behalf of the All India Trinamool Congress to bring to your attention a matter that significantly impacts the fairness of the electoral process.” The complaint highlights the repeated and intentional postings of certain officials within the same district/sub-division/block, which contradicts the binding directives issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI). This practice raises legitimate concerns about bias and partial conduct.
The letter emphasizes that the ECI has mandated strict guidelines governing the transfer and posting of officials involved in the electoral process. It explicitly states that officials should not be deployed in their home districts. Furthermore, it prohibits any district electoral officer, returning officer, assistant returning officer, or police officer from being posted back in the same assembly constituency/district where they served during the previous assembly elections or any by-elections within a specified timeframe. This is crucial to ensure impartiality and eliminate any potential local influence or familiarity.
O’Brien further elaborated that these directives are based on the fundamental principle that free and fair elections require not only actual impartiality but also the absence of any reasonable suspicion of bias.
However, it has come to light that certain officials, including Block Development Officer Arijit Goswami in Agra-II, Block Development Officer Subhasis Majumdar in Ramnagar-I, and Block Development Officer Shubdeep Dhar in Ramnagar-II, have been assigned to the same assembly constituency/district/sub-division/block where they previously exercised administrative authority and/or performed electoral duties, including responsibilities during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The repeated nature of such postings is not merely coincidental; it clearly deviates from the spirit and mandate of the directives issued by the Election Commission of India. Given their prior involvement in conducting elections in the same geographical and administrative environment, these officials should not have been reassigned to the same district/sub-division, as such continuity fosters local familiarity, strengthens their influence, and undermines the core objective of democratic rotation.
Moreover, when this pattern of repeated postings is considered alongside ground-level reports and surrounding circumstances, it raises a valid and credible suspicion that these officials are deliberately being retained and posted due to perceived biases towards specific candidates. Such a situation strikes at the very root of the principle of impartiality and creates an uneven electoral environment, thereby corrupting the electoral process.
Deliberately retaining and reposting these officials in violation of the ECI’s binding directives is regarded as a serious breach of the model code of conduct, as it promotes biased interference in the electoral process and undermines public trust in its fairness and transparency.
The TMC has demanded an immediate investigation into the circumstances leading to the repeated postings of these officials in the same assembly constituency/district/sub-division/block. They have called for the immediate transfer of these officials and the appointment of impartial officers in their place. A comprehensive review of all such postings should be conducted to ensure strict adherence to the ECI’s transfer and rotation guidelines, and any other orders deemed appropriate to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections should be issued.
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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