West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari overhauls CMO, transfers 93 Kolkata Police officers
Synopsis
Within 24 hours of taking oath, West Bengal's new Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari replaced 16 CMO bureaucrats, sidelined key Mamata Banerjee loyalists, and transferred 93 Kolkata Police officers — one of the most sweeping first-day administrative purges in the state's recent political history.
Key Takeaways
16 bureaucrats from the Mamata Banerjee -era CMO replaced within 24 hours of Suvendu Adhikari taking oath.
Santanu Mukhopadhya , IAS officer ( 2014 batch ) and Banerjee confidant, is among the most prominent officials shifted out.
Pratap Nayek , linked to the TMC-affiliated Government Employees' Federation, transferred to Palbazar Block Development Office in Darjeeling .
46 principal secretaries from the previous cabinet placed with the state personnel and administrative reforms department pending reassignment.
Retired IAS officer Subrata Gupta appointed as advisor; Subrata Bala (IAS, 2017 batch ) named Principal Secretary to the CM.
93 Kolkata Police officers transferred out of city jurisdiction, mostly to North Bengal and western districts.
Newly sworn-in West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has carried out a sweeping overhaul of the bureaucratic structure in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) at the state secretariat in Kolkata, within less than 24 hours of taking oath. The reshuffle, which also extends to the city's police force, signals a sharp break from the administrative machinery built under former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
CMO Overhaul: Key Changes
As many as 16 bureaucrats attached to the earlier CMO under Mamata Banerjee have been replaced by new officers. The most prominent among those shifted out is Santanu Mukhopadhya, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 2014 batch and widely regarded as a close confidant of Banerjee.
Also transferred is Pratap Nayek, a staff member of the erstwhile CMO and the key figure in the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-affiliated West Bengal Government Employees' Federation. Nayek has been posted to the Palbazar Block Development Office at Bijanbari in Darjeeling district in North Bengal — a posting widely seen as a significant downgrade.
Additionally, 46 officers who served as principal secretaries to the previous cabinet have been placed with the state personnel and administrative reforms department on a temporary basis, pending decisions on their next postings.
New Appointments at the CMO
On Saturday, just hours after the oath ceremony, Subrata Gupta, a retired IAS officer who earned widespread praise for his role as the Election Commission of India (ECI)-appointed special poll observer for the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly polls, was appointed as advisor to Chief Minister Adhikari.
The new government also announced the appointment of Subrata Bala, an IAS officer of the 2017 batch of West Bengal cadre, as the Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Adhikari. Bala previously served as the Additional District Magistrate of South 24 Parganas.
Kolkata Police: 93 Officers Transferred
In a parallel shake-up, Kolkata Police authorities transferred 93 officers — spanning the ranks of sub-inspectors, inspectors, assistant commissioners, and deputy commissioners — out of the city's jurisdiction. According to reports, most of those transferred held influence within the TMC-affiliated Police Welfare Association.
The 93 officers have been posted to locations including Cooch Behar, Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, and Alipurduar in North Bengal, the Sunderbans in South 24 Parganas district, and the tribal-dominated western districts of Bankura and Purulia.
What This Signals
The speed and scale of the overhaul — encompassing the CMO, cabinet secretariat, and police force within a single day — underscores the Adhikari government's intent to dismantle the administrative network associated with the previous TMC dispensation. Notably, this is among the most sweeping first-day bureaucratic reshuffles in recent West Bengal political history. How the displaced officers and affiliated associations respond in the coming days will be a critical early test for the new government's authority.
Point of View
46 cabinet secretaries, and 93 police officers in a single day — is less a routine transition and more a deliberate signal. Adhikari is not just changing personnel; he is systematically dismantling the patronage infrastructure that sustained TMC's administrative grip. The transfers of officers tied to party-affiliated unions are particularly pointed. The real question is whether the incoming officers have the institutional depth to run a complex state machinery from day one, or whether the speed of the purge creates its own governance vacuum in the short term.
NationPress
11 May 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What changes did Suvendu Adhikari make to the West Bengal CMO?
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari replaced 16 bureaucrats attached to the Mamata Banerjee-era CMO within 24 hours of taking oath. Key loyalists including IAS officer Santanu Mukhopadhya were shifted out, and new officers including Principal Secretary Subrata Bala were appointed.
Who is Subrata Gupta and why was he appointed advisor to the CM?
Subrata Gupta is a retired IAS officer who served as the Election Commission of India-appointed special poll observer for the West Bengal Assembly elections, earning praise across party lines. He was appointed as advisor to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on the day of the oath ceremony.
Why were 93 Kolkata Police officers transferred?
According to reports, most of the 93 transferred officers held influence within the TMC-affiliated Police Welfare Association. They have been posted to North Bengal districts and western tribal districts, effectively removing them from positions of urban influence.
What happened to the 46 principal secretaries of the previous cabinet?
The 46 officers who served as principal secretaries to the previous Mamata Banerjee cabinet have been temporarily placed with the state personnel and administrative reforms department. Their final postings are yet to be decided.
Who is Santanu Mukhopadhya and why does his transfer matter?
Santanu Mukhopadhya is a 2014-batch IAS officer widely regarded as a close confidant of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. His removal from the CMO is seen as one of the most symbolically significant moves in the new government's first-day administrative overhaul.
