Six officials, including Bidhannagar Deputy Magistrate, suspended ahead of West Bengal counting

SNS, May 1, 2026, Kolkata: Ahead of the counting of votes in the West Bengal Assembly elections 2026, six officials, including the Deputy Magistrate of Bidhannagar, have reportedly been placed under suspension. The action was taken by Bidhannagar Sub-Divisional Officer and Returning Officer Priyansha Garg.

According to sources, the suspension order was issued following serious administrative concerns. However, detailed reasons behind the disciplinary action are yet to be formally disclosed. The development has drawn significant attention in administrative circles, given the timing and the number of officials involved.

Providing details regarding the matter, BJP leader Dr Saradwata Mukhopadhyay said, “We were given a schedule for the opening of the strong room, so we arrived around 10.30 a.m. But we found the strong room open… We also learned that it had been opened multiple times… When we asked them who authorised it and why we weren’t informed, they had no answer… Gautam Mandal, the Deputy Magistrate here… apologised and admitted to making a mistake.”

Mukhopadhyay said that the party later complained about this matter to the Returning Officer via email.

“We also requested the CCTV footage and reviewed it and we found that the strong room was being opened multiple times… This completely violates the ECI’s guidelines… Six officers were suspended, including the Deputy Magistrate Gautam Mandal… 2 of our party workers will be stationed here, monitoring the area,” he added.

The BJP leader further targeted West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and said, “Her entire political career is built on lies… There’s only one person in Bengal who has destroyed the state, so who are we supposed to blame now? The person who has ruined all of Bengal is Mamata Banerjee. Her political career will come to an end on May 4… We thought she might become the leader of the Opposition, but even that is impossible.”

He went on to claim that Banerjee will be defeated by Suvendu Adhikari from Bhabanipur. “Let’s see how Mamata Banerjee’s political future unfolds after that,” he added.

Voting for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly was held across two phases on April 23 and April 29, while the counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.