Kolkata, Mar 29 (PTI): The Election Commission on Sunday transferred officers-in-charge and inspectors-in-charge of 173 police stations across West Bengal, including 31 under Kolkata Police, as part of measures to ensure free and fair Assembly elections, officials said.

Officers posted in key constituencies such as Bhabanipur in Kolkata and Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district were included in the reshuffle.

The transfers also involved inspectors and sub-inspectors assigned as ICs and OCs in districts including Cooch Behar, Malda, Murshidabad, Birbhum, Paschim Medinipur, Howrah, and North and South 24 Parganas.

According to the order, Soumitra Basu, previously with the Special Task Force (STF), will take charge as IC of Bhabanipur police station.

In Bhabanipur, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is set to face her former protege-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari, turning her long-held bastion into one of the state’s most closely watched and fiercely contested Assembly seats.

The OCs of other key stations, such as Alipore, Ekbalpore, Haridevpur, Entally, Jorasanko, Gariahat, Bhawanipore, New Market, Bowbazar, Tollygunge, Amherst Street, Taratala, and Behala, were also transferred.

Debdulal Mondal has been posted as IC of Haldia, Kajal Dutta to Kolaghat, Susanta Chattopadhyay from Alipurduar to Egra, and Chandrakanta Shasmal as OC of Patashpur, officials said.

In a parallel move, the commission also ordered the transfer of 14 block development officers (BDOs) in Purba Medinipur, including those in Nandigram I and Nandigram II blocks.

Poll body officials said such large-scale transfers are aimed at ensuring neutrality in law enforcement and maintaining a level playing field during the elections by minimising local influence.

Earlier in the day, the EC transferred 83 block development officers and assistant returning officers across 18 districts of the state.

The large-scale reshuffle covers blocks ranging from Dinhata-II in Cooch Behar to Diamond Harbour-I and II in South 24 Parganas district, along with Ramnagar, Nandigram-I and II, Nanoor, Labhpur, Suri-I, Mohammad Bazar, Ilambazar and Mayureswar-I, among others, they said.

Districts affected by the transfers include Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, North and South Dinajpur, Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, East and West Midnapore, Purulia, Bankura, East and West Burdwan, and Birbhum, officials added.

The directive was issued by the commission from its New Delhi office, a senior poll official said.

The move comes amid continuing friction between the state government and the Centre over the transfer of officials ahead of elections.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has on multiple occasions alleged that such reshuffles are politically motivated.

The elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly will be held in two phases - on April 23 and 29. Votes will be counted on May 4. PTI SCH MNB

(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)