Manoj Kumar Agarwal Appointed Chief Secretary of West Bengal Amid Controversy
West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer appointed State Chief Secretary
The Hindu
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Manoj Kumar Agarwal, former Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, has been appointed as the Chief Secretary of the state. His elevation has sparked criticism from opposition parties, particularly the Trinamool Congress, questioning the fairness of the recent elections and the implications of his new role under the Bharatiya Janata Party government.
- 01Manoj Kumar Agarwal appointed as Chief Secretary of West Bengal.
- 02His tenure as Chief Electoral Officer saw the removal of around 91 lakh voters from electoral rolls.
- 03Criticism from Trinamool Congress regarding the fairness of the recent elections.
- 04Dushyant Nariala, the former Chief Secretary, has been appointed as Principal Resident Commissioner in New Delhi.
- 05The West Bengal government also terminated several officials' tenures on the same day.
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Manoj Kumar Agarwal, who previously served as the Chief Electoral Officer during the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026, has been appointed as the Chief Secretary of West Bengal as of May 11, 2026. Agarwal, a 1990 batch IAS officer, oversaw a significant revision of the electoral rolls that led to the removal of approximately 91 lakh voters. His appointment has drawn criticism from opposition parties, particularly the Trinamool Congress, which questions the integrity of the elections and the implications of appointing a former electoral official to a top bureaucratic position under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Trinamool Congress member Sagarika Ghose described the move as
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The appointment of Agarwal may affect the administrative landscape and governance in West Bengal, raising concerns about electoral integrity.
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