Retirement of West Bengal's Chief Electoral Officer Sparks Succession Uncertainty
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Kolkata, Dec 31 (NationPress) The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, Aariz Aftab, has officially retired from his role on Tuesday.
However, uncertainty looms regarding his successor, as the West Bengal government has not yet submitted a panel of names from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers of the state cadre to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
According to regulations, the commission will select one individual from the panel of IAS officers provided by the state government.
Sources familiar with the situation indicate that this is an unusual circumstance, as no panel has been submitted to the commission prior to the retirement or replacement of the current CEO in the state.
The commission will decide whether to wait for the state government to send the IAS officer panel or to prompt state Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to take immediate action.
Aftab, a 1991 batch IAS officer from the West Bengal cadre, has been one of the longest-serving CEOs in the region, having assumed office in February 2017. Under his leadership, the state has conducted three significant elections, including the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 and 2024, as well as the state Assembly elections in 2024.
His tenure was relatively controversy-free. Notably, before the general elections earlier this year, his proactive approach was commended as he warned District Magistrates, Superintendents of Police, and Police Commissioners that he would not tolerate any decline in law and order across the state.
However, his appointment was initially met with some controversy. The first two panels submitted by the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government were rejected by the commission, and Aftab's name was ultimately drawn from the third panel.
