Transfer orders of officials in five states ahead of 2027 assembly panchayat elections

The Election Commission of India has directed the transfer of election-related duty officials in Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand as part of preparations for the assembly elections to be held in 2027. According to a report by Hindustan Times, the Election Commission has ordered the transfer of those officials who are posted in their home districts or have been working in the same district for three years or more.

In a letter written to the chief secretaries and chief electoral officers, the Election Commission has clarified that no official covered under these guidelines will be allowed to continue in their current district. The deadline for completing three years for Goa, Manipur, Punjab and Uttarakhand has been set as March 31, 2027, while this time limit for Uttar Pradesh has been kept as May 31, 2027. Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa stated that strict compliance with these guidelines is necessary to ensure the fairness and transparency of the election process.

While calculating the three-year period, a promotion to a post within the same district will be taken into account. However, services rendered at the 'state headquarters' during the last four years, even if in the same revenue district, will not be counted towards the three-year period in the current district, the Election Commission said. According to an NDTV report, this policy covers several officials including district election officers, returning officers, assistant returning officers, additional district magistrates, SDMs, tehsildars and block development officers. In addition to this, divisional and municipal commissioners will also come under the scope of this transfer.

For police department officials, this rule will apply from sub-inspectors up to range IGs and commissioners. Sub-inspector rank and above officers of the excise and transport department also come under this order. State governments have been asked to ensure that transferred officials are not appointed in their home districts. No district election officer, returning officer, assistant returning officer, police inspector or sub-inspector or officer of a higher rank can be re-deployed in an assembly constituency or district where they were on duty during the previous assembly election or any subsequent bye-election.

The Election Commission has instructed that staff currently engaged in the special summary revision work of electoral rolls will be transferred only after the final publication of electoral rolls and in consultation with the chief electoral officer. Chief secretaries and directors general of police (DGP) are required to submit an action-taken report on these instructions by November 30. Furthermore, election-related officials must file a declaration within two days of the last date for filing nomination papers, stating that they are not close relatives of any contesting candidate and no criminal case is pending against them.

These orders have come at a time when the commission is intensifying groundwork for elections in the five states. Senior officials led by deputy election commissioners have begun reviewing preparations. Following this process, a full commission visit will be undertaken under the leadership of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. The tenure of the assembly in these states is ending between March 13 in Manipur and May 22 in Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier, this type of process had also become a subject of controversy in West Bengal, when the commission transferred the chief secretary and DGP shortly after announcing election dates. Trinamool leaders termed this move wrong and accused the commission of bias. In West Bengal, 73 returning officers were also removed and more than 50 officials were transferred. The petition filed in this regard was dismissed by the Calcutta High Court and subsequently by the Supreme Court. A similar controversy was also seen in Tamil Nadu, where there was protest against the order to transfer the chief secretary a fortnight before the election date.