In a major crackdown in Abhishek Banerjee's fiefdom, Diamond Harbour, the Election Commsiion has shunted out Sourav Hazra out of Falta and posted him to Purulia with immediate effect.
He has been replaced by Ramya Bhattacharya.
The transfer of Hazra comes in the backdrop of allegations of 'non-cooperation' by him with EC-appointed police observer Ajay Pal Sharma, who faced protests by TMC workers during his visit to the residence of TMC candidate Jahangir Khan and his associates in the area since Monday night.
The poll panel also removed ADM of South 24 Parganas, Bhaskar Pal, and ADM of Birbhum, Souvik Bhattacharya, from all election-related duties, the official said.
Sharma was Prayagraj ACP before beng sent to West Bengal. He is also called 'Singham' in Uttar Pradesh for his crackdown on criminals.
During his visit to the area, Sharma and his team faced protests as TMC supporters raised 'go back' and 'Jai Bangla' slogans wherever he went.
Falta, which falls under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha seat represented by TMC heavyweight Abhishek Banerjee, is considered a sensitive constituency.
With over a hundred armed central paramilitary troops, an armoured vehicle, and a list of potential "trouble makers", the 2011-batch IPS officer combed the South 24 Parganas district's Falta Assembly seat for two days.
Meanwhile, voting for the second and final phase of West Bengal polls will take place on Wednesday, April 29.
Movement of people and vehicles on Bangladesh border routes in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas has been restricted ahead of the final phase of the Assembly polls on Wednesday, with exemptions for medical emergencies, voters returning to cast their votes, and transport of perishable goods.
The curb will continue till the completion of the polling process, and is applicable to the Petrapole land port, and other border routes.
As many as 33 assembly constituencies in the district will go to the polls on April 29.
The curb is aimed at preventing any cross-border movement that could influence the electoral process, particularly in border districts like North 24 Parganas, which share a porous boundary with Bangladesh.
West Bengal shares a 2,200-km-long international border with Bangladesh, making it a crucial corridor for trade.
The Petrapole land port handles a substantial share of India-Bangladesh trade and typically sees around 700-1,000 trucks crossing daily, carrying goods such as garments, cotton yarn, food items, plastics, and engineering products.
The Calcutta High Court on April 28 has reprimanded the West Bengal government for failing to comply with its order to hand over land to the BSF to fence the India-Bangladesh border in the state, noting that only eight-kilometre stretches of the 127 km have been given to the border guarding force so far.
On January 27, a division bench presided by Chief Justice Sujoy Paul had directed the state government to hand over 127 km of land "already acquired/purchased", for which "compensation" had been "received by the state government from the Centre", to the BSF by March 31.
During Parliament session, Home Minister Amit Shah has been critical of the Mamata Govt for not providing land to the BSF.
The BJP may be on the cusp of a breakthrough in West Bengal this year. Whether or not it makes it to power this time, it is expected to improve on its 2021 performance when it had bagged 77 out of 294 seats.
In 2016, the BJP had merely 3 seats in the state assembly and two MPs in Lok Sabha.
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