Nandini Chakrabarty, a senior IAS officer and Divisional Commissioner of Presidency Range, has been transferred by the Mamata Banerjee Government as the Chief Minister does not trust her with election jobs, sources said.
Regarded as an “upright officer” former Information and Culture Secretary, Chakrabarty had fallen out of Banerjee’s favour and had been shifted as the Commissioner, Presidency Range. As the Commissioner of Presidency Range she would otherwise supervise the conduct of electioneering in as many as 130 districts in South Bengal, insiders said.
“However with elections approaching the Chief Minister is not confident about the officer who would supervise the conduct of the respective DMs in charge of 130 Assembly seats. Hence the transfer,” said an official who was for sometime posted at the State secretariat at Nabanna.
Six districts including Howrah, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and Kolkata come under the Presidency Division and electioneering in these districts can be crucial for a party for coming to power or retaining it.