Kolkata, May 20: The West Bengal government has submitted a panel of three Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers to the Election Commission of India (ECI) for the appointment of a new Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) for the state.
The former CEO, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, currently serves as the Chief Secretary of the state. He assumed this role when the new cabinet, led by the ninth Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), took office.
At the same time, Subrata Gupta, the former special election observer appointed by the ECI, has been designated as the Chief Advisor to the new Chief Minister. Both Agarwal and Gupta are credited with effectively managing the Special Intensive Review (SIR) campaign in the state and ensuring the recent assembly elections were conducted peacefully and smoothly.
The panel of IAS officers proposed by the new state government includes Neelam Meena, Tanmay Chakraborty, and Maumita Godara Basu. Meena, a 1998 batch IAS officer, is the most senior among them, followed by Chakraborty from the 2006 batch, and Basu from the 2007 batch.
Agarwal, an IAS officer from the 1990 batch, became the CEO of West Bengal in March 2025. Prior to this, he served as the Additional Chief Secretary for Fire and Emergency Services, Forest, and Disaster Management in the previous Mamata Banerjee-led government.
It is noteworthy that in March of this year, immediately after Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar announced the dates for the assembly elections, the ECI replaced the then Chief Secretary, Nandini Chakraborty, with Dushyant Nariyala. Following the new government’s assumption of office, Nariyala was transferred to serve as the ‘Resident Commissioner’ for the West Bengal government in Delhi, and Agarwal was appointed in his place.
Nandini Chakraborty, who is currently working as the Chief Coordinator for Development Projects (a position directly under the Chief Minister’s Office), is undertaking a significant responsibility. She has been tasked with ensuring the smooth transfer of land to the Border Security Force (BSF) for the installation of barbed wire fencing along the international border with Bangladesh.
My name is Ganpat Singh Choughan. I am an experienced content writer with 7 years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including technology, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
Leave a Comment