West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal. File | Photo credit: ANI
Manoj Kumar Agarwal, who saw the conduct of the 2026 West Bengal elections as the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), was appointed as the Chief Secretary of West Bengal on Monday (May 11, 2026).
Mr. Agarwal has been an IAS officer in the West Bengal cadre since 1990 and held several important posts before being appointed as the CEO. During his tenure as the Chief Executive, a Special Intensive Review (SIR) took place in West Bengal in which around 91 million voters were removed from the electoral rolls.
While Mr. Agarwal won praise from several quarters for holding the polls free of any violence and threats, questions were raised about the conduct of the election where thousands of voters could not exercise their right to vote.
Acting Chief Secretary Dushyant Nariala has been appointed as Chief Resident Commissioner, New Delhi in a government order notification issued on Monday.
The decision of the Bharatiya Janata Party government led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to elevate the CEO to the top post in the state has raised questions in political circles. Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Sagarika Ghose termed the development as “outrageous and brazen”.
“Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal will now be the Chief Secretary of Bengal. The so-called ‘neutral referee’ is rewarded with the post of top bureaucrat of the @BJP4India dispensation in Bengal. Does anyone still SERIOUSLY believe that #bengalelections2026 were free and fair?” Ms. Ghose posted on social media.
Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale also spoke about Mr. Agarwal’s elevation and said, “BJP and EC are now talking openly about stealing elections. Are the courts BLIND or COMPLIANT? This is beyond shameless”.
On Saturday, the day Mr Adhikari was sworn in, he appointed retired IAS officer Subarta Gupta as his adviser. Mr. Gupta was appointed as a special observer by the Election Commission and along with Mr. Agarwal played an important role in conducting the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote on X: “These appointments reflect brazen collusion and connivance between the ECI and the BJP.”
Services discontinued
In another announcement on Monday, the West Bengal government terminated the tenure of “nominated members/directors/chairmen of various boards, organizations under all ministries of the state government”. The notification also stated that the services of officers who were engaged as re-employment/extension of service beyond the normal retirement age of 60 years in various State Government Departments would be terminated.
On Monday, Mr. Adhikari met several senior officials of the West Bengal government in Nabanna and told them that they were free to express their views. The chief minister suggested officials against using the word “anuprerona (inspiration)” which was used by officials during the Mamata Banerjee-led government. In the last 15 years, all the decisions of the West Bengal government have been attributed to the “inspiration” of Ms. Banerjee.
Published – 11 May 2026 22:20 IST
