The Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) office has initiated a large-scale administrative overhaul in West Bengal, with the state government formally notified to reshuffle police personnel ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. Following directives from the Election Commission of India, a formal notification has been issued to the state government to reshuffle police personnel. The core of the directive focuses on the EC’s long-standing policy regarding the “3-year tenure.”

“Any police officer (from Sub-Inspector rank and above) who has completed three years in their current district during the last four years, or will do so by the cut-off date (likely May 31, 2026), must be transferred. No officer directly connected to election management can be posted in their home district. Officers transferred out of a district cannot be posted to another district within the same Parliamentary Constituency,” the directive states.

The order targets officers directly connected to the election processes, including:  ADGs, IGs, DIGs, and SSPs/SPs; Additional SPs, sub-divisional police officers, and circle inspectors; police sub-inspectors and inspectors in charge of police stations.

Those in functional departments like computerization, training and special branches are exempt unless assigned election tasks.

The CEO has warned that any officer with a history of recommendations for disciplinary action by the ECI in past elections should not be assigned election duties.

Additionally, any officer due to retire within the next six months is to be excluded from the election machinery.

The state government is expected to announce new postings soon.