Kolkata, May 11: Manoj Kumar Agarwal has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary of West Bengal, effective Monday. This announcement was made through an official notification. The Governor has appointed Agarwal, a 1990 batch IAS officer, who previously served as the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal and held additional responsibilities in the Home and Hill Affairs (Elections) department.
Agarwal played a crucial role in the recent assembly elections, and discussions in administrative circles had already hinted at his potential appointment as Chief Secretary. With the official announcement now made, all speculations have been put to rest.
However, there has been no information regarding the new posting for the current Chief Secretary, Dushyant Nariyala. Sources suggest he may be sent on deputation to the central government.
Manoj Kumar Agarwal, an IAS officer from the West Bengal cadre, was prioritized for the Chief Electoral Officer position from a panel of three names presented to the Election Commission.
Previously, Subrata Gupta, who was appointed as a special poll observer by the Election Commission during the West Bengal assembly elections, has been designated as an advisor to the newly sworn-in Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari.
On May 7, the Election Commission relieved Gupta and the special police observer of their election-related responsibilities. Following Adhikari’s oath-taking as Chief Minister of West Bengal on Saturday, the state government issued a notification announcing Gupta’s appointment as an advisor.
Subrata Gupta, also a 1990 batch IAS officer from the West Bengal cadre, is a retired technocrat and an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur. He was praised for effectively utilizing technology and artificial intelligence to ensure a transparent and peaceful electoral process as a special poll observer. During the Special Intensive Review (SIR) before the elections, the use of technology and AI helped the commission identify illegal voters and remove fraudulent names.
Leave a Comment