New Delhi: There have been around 18–20 transfers of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) across states and Union Territories between 2025 and 2026 at the Election Commission of India (ECI) even as it conducted the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, according to a report in the Economic Times.The reshuffle, since Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar took charge in February 2025, has also involved senior officials at the commission, including Deputy Election Commissioners (DECs). The scale of transfers over the 20-month period is among the highest in a comparable timeframe, writes journalist Anubhuti Vishnoi.In 2025, CEOs were replaced in eight to nine states and Union Territories, followed by at least 10 further transfers in 2026. Although the ECI conventionally retains CEOs for at least three years to ensure continuity, at least seven transferred officers had served for less than two years in their posts.The changes began in Bihar in April 2025, ahead of the state’s SIR exercise, and continued across Nagaland, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Manipur and Ladakh, among other regions. Further changes in 2026 included Punjab, Delhi, Gujarat, Sikkim and Chandigarh.Lakshadweep got three different CEOs between November 2025 and October 2026. Other notable changes followed Assembly elections in West Bengal and Kerala, where the outgoing CEOs were appointed to other senior government positions.There were also significant changes at the deputy election commissioner level in the ECI. Key appointments included Bhanu Prakash Yeturu in May 2025, Pawan Kumar Sharma in September 2025 and Prakash Rajpurohit in October 2026, following the repatriation of Sanjay Kumar in August.For comparison, former Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar oversaw around 23 CEO transfers during his 33-month tenure from May 2022 to February 2025, a period that included the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Around 29 transfers took place during the 41-month tenure of CECs Sunil Arora and Sushil Chandra, which also included a general election, says the Economic Times.For our full coverage on the SIR and the issues it has brought to citizens, click here.