Election Commission Replaces Nandigram Police Officer Ahead of West Bengal Bypoll

On Monday, the Election Commission changed the inspector-in-charge of Nandigram police station, one day before the byelection to the assembly seat in West Bengal's Purba Medinipur district, a senior official said. Debashis Sarkar took over from Ajay Kumar Mishra, PTI reported.

The change came after opposition parties approached the Election Commission and alleged that Mishra was close to the ruling party. Polling in Nandigram and Rejinagar is due on Tuesday, making the late switch politically sensitive.

Reacting to the decision, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told PTI, "It is a good thing that the inspector-in-charge has been changed in Nandigram. But whether the Election Commission will actually conduct a free and fair election in Nandigram and Rejinagar tomorrow will only become clear after the polls take place."

Officer Change Details

Sarkar is the traffic inspector in Tamluk and also heads the Cyber Crime police station. Mishra had earlier been posted as Nandigram police station's inspector-in-charge before the Assembly elections held this year.

When contacted, Sarkar said he had just learnt about the change and was yet to receive the formal order. Sarkar told PTI, "I was in Nandigram to oversee traffic arrangements as Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is scheduled to come here to cast his vote tomorrow. That is when I learnt about it."

The officer change follows complaints from opposition parties over Mishra's posting. The Election Commission has not been quoted in the PTI report on the reason for the transfer.

Congress Raises Objections

Congress stepped up its criticism. The party's state unit president, Subhankar Sarkar, was in Delhi when the West Bengal government moved the Supreme Court against the interim bail granted to the Congress' Nandigram bypoll candidate Milan Pradhan.

The apex court has upheld the bail order passed by the Calcutta High Court. Against that backdrop, Subhankar Sarkar accused the poll panel of bias and objected to the location of the counting centre.

Subhankar Sarkar told PTI, "Serious questions have already been raised over the commission's neutrality in conducting polls across the country. In Nandigram, we have objected to setting up the counting centre at Reyapara within the constituency."

Subhankar Sarkar added to PTI, "This is highly unusual. Previously, counting centres for this seat used to be set up in Haldia, but not this time. We wonder why. We apprehend that votes may get looted during the counting process after the first few rounds."

Nandigram Political Context

Nandigram remains a key political seat. Ahead of this year's Assembly elections, the state police underwent a major reshuffle and several officers were transferred across districts to ensure a "transparent election process".

After the results were announced, Nandigram's inspector-in-charge Shubhabrata Nath was removed and Mishra was appointed in his place. Nath was then made an inspector in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the state police.

The constituency carries long political weight in Bengal. Nandigram played a major role in Mamata Banerjee's political rise during the 2007-08 anti-land-grab agitation. In the 2021 state elections, Mamata was defeated there by Suvendu Adhikari.

Adhikari contested from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in this year's assembly elections and won both seats. He later relinquished the Nandigram seat, making a fresh election necessary. Polling in Nandigram and Rejinagar will be held on Tuesday and counting of votes is scheduled for October 9.