Amid SIR, about 20 CEOs transferred in 20 months

Amidst the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) at the Election Commission of India (ECI), there has been a substantial turnover in the administrative structure of the organization. Approximately 18-20 chief electoral officers (CEOs) from states and Union Territories have been transferred between 2025 and 2026. This is the highest number of CEO transfers in a 20-month period since chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar assumed office in February 2025.

Prior to him, Rajiv Kumar had conducted about 23 CEO transfers over 33 months, which included the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Sunil Arora and Sushil Chandra, who were in charge before Rajiv Kumar, witnessed 29 CEO transfers during their combined 41-month tenure. The 2025-26 transfer cycle has been particularly active, with CEOs from eight to nine states and Union Territories replaced in 2025, and at least ten more transfers occurring so far in 2026.

Interestingly, seven of the transferred CEOs served less than two years in the post. The first CEO transfer took place in Bihar in June 2025, followed by shifts in Nagaland, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Haryana in May 2025. The trend continued with CEO appointments in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Manipur, Ladakh, and the Union Territory of Lakshadweep by the end of 2025.

In 2026, Punjabi saw its CEO replaced in January, followed by Delhi's CEO being transferred out in February after preparing for the SIR 2.0. Gujarat appointed a new CEO in the same month, while Sikkim experienced a change in March, and Chandigarh in April. The turnover at the deputy election commissioner level is also notable, with at least four major changes in the Nirvachan Sadan, including the appointment of Bhanu Prakash Yeturu in May 2025, followed by Pawan Kumar Sharma in September 2025 and Prakash Rajpurohit in October 2026.