CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal Who Oversaw SIR, Appointed As Chief Secretary In Suvendu Adhikari Govt Post Bengal Polls

In a significant bureaucratic reshuffle just days into the new BJP-led government in West Bengal, senior IAS officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal has been appointed as the state’s Chief Secretary. The 1990-batch officer, who steered the Election Commission’s operations as Chief Electoral Officer during the recently concluded Assembly polls, is set to assume the top administrative role, replacing the incumbent.

The move follows closely on the heels of the appointment of retired IAS officer Dr. Subrata Gupta as Chief Advisor to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on May 9. Gupta had served as the Election Commission’s Special Roll Observer during the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls ahead of the elections. Together, the twin elevations have sparked fresh debate over the interface between the poll machinery and the new dispensation.

“The Governor is pleased to appoint Shri Manoj Kumar Agarwal, IAS (WB:1990), Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal and ex-officio Additional Chief Secretary, Home and Hill Affairs (Election) Department, Govt. of West Bengal as Chief Secretary to the Government of West Bengal,” read an order dated May 11. 

Agarwal, an IIT Kanpur alumnus holding a B.Tech degree, with over 36 years of experience across districts, departments and key secretariat postings, oversaw what the Election Commission described as one of the most intensive clean up exercises in the state’s electoral history. Under his watch, the SIR process led to the deletion of approximately 91 lakh names from the voter list - roughly 12% of the electorate - citing reasons such as deaths, duplicate entries, migration, non-residency and logical discrepancy. Nearly 27 lakh of these deletions were upheld after adjudication by judicial officers, effectively disenfranchising a substantial number of individuals ahead of polling. Those matters are now pending before the Tribunal and the Supreme Court of India.

The deletions triggered a fierce political storm that dominated the election narrative. The erstwhile Trinamool Congress government and its leaders repeatedly accused the poll panel of bias, claiming that genuine voters - particularly in opposition strongholds were struck off in a targeted manner. Critics dubbed the episode the “SIR debate,” alleging it tilted the scales in favour of the ruling party at the Centre. Opposition leaders demanded a rollback and alleged procedural irregularities in the handling of Form-6 applications for inclusion.

Agarwal consistently defended the exercise. In multiple press briefings and interviews, he maintained that the CEO’s office merely supervised a statutorily mandated process driven by field enumeration and judicial scrutiny. “These deletions were not arbitrary,” he had stated. “They were based on verifiable data - dead, shifted, duplicates or absent voters. The Commission cannot add or delete names unilaterally; our role is supervisory and transparent.” He also emphasised that the polls were conducted peacefully with unprecedented central force deployment, underscoring the administration’s commitment to free and fair voting despite West Bengal’s history of electoral violence.

The timing of Agarwal’s appointment has drawn sharp reactions. While the new government, sources describe it as a recognition of his administrative acumen and the smooth conduct of elections, TMC leaders have termed the development “predictable optics” that reward officials involved in the SIR exercise. BJP however, dismissed any suggestion of quid pro quo, stating that appointments are made purely on merit and seniority.

Agarwal is scheduled to retire on July 31, but sources indicate the government may seek an extension to ensure continuity during the crucial initial months of the new regime. His elevation, alongside Gupta’s advisory role, signals the incoming administration’s preference for officers with direct experience of the recent electoral overhaul.

Political observers note that the appointments could set the tone for the new government’s relationship with the bureaucracy. With the SIR controversy still fresh in public memory, the coming weeks will test whether the focus shifts to governance or remains mired in the contentious legacy of the voter-list revisions. Agarwal succeeds Dushyant Nariala, an IAS officer of the 1993 batch, who has been moved to New Delhi as the Principal Resident Commissioner.