Manoj Agarwal (seated in the middle) is a 1990-batch IAS officer who served as Chief Electoral Officer during the 2026 West Bengal Assembly polls. (Photo: @CEOWestBengal/X)

Bengal's top poll official, who oversaw SIR, appointed chief secretary

Manoj Agarwal is a 1990-batch IAS officer belonging to the West Bengal cadre. He helmed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls conducted ahead of the now-concluded Assembly polls in West Bengal.

by · India Today

In Short

  • Agarwal is a 1990-batch IAS officer from the West Bengal cadre
  • He oversaw the EC-mandated SIR drive ahead of Assembly polls
  • 91 lakh names were removed from the electoral rolls in Bengal SIR

Senior IAS officer Manoj Agarwal, who served as the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal during the recently held Assembly elections, has been appointed the Chief Secretary of the Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government in the state, according to an official order issued on Monday.

The 1990-batch IAS officer belongs to the West Bengal cadre. He helmed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls conducted ahead of the now-concluded Assembly polls in West Bengal. The Election Commission-mandated exercise, which caused a massive political tug-of-war between the BJP and the TMC, led to the removal of around 91 lakh names from the electoral rolls.

RESHUFFLES UNDER SUVENDU GOVT

Agarwal's appointment as West Bengal's Chief Secretary is among some of the earliest bureaucratic reshuffles under the new state government. He will be replacing Dushyant Nariala, who has been transferred to New Delhi as Principal Resident Commissioner.

The outgoing chief secretary was appointed to the position by the Election Commission in mid-March, when Nandini Chakravorty was transferred from the post by the poll body.

Agarwal's latest appointment was announced a day after the new West Bengal government appointed two IAS officers and seven WBCS (Executive) officers in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

Among them was retired IAS officer Subrata Gupta, who was appointed the advisor to CM Adhikari hours after his oath-taking ceremony. Like Agarwal, he, too, belongs to the 1990 batch and was engaged by the EC as the Special Roll Observer for the SIR.

The new administration has also reassigned 16 officers, who were posted to the CMO when Mamata Banerjee was the chief minister.

The major administrative restructuring comes after the BJP came to power for the first time in West Bengal as the result of a resounding mandate in the Assembly elections held last month.

The saffron party secured 207 seats in the 294-member assembly, ending the TMC's 15-year rule in the state.

- Ends
(With inputs from PTI)