Who Is Manoj Agarwal? West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Appointed As Chief Secretary By Suvendu Adhikari Government

(MENAFN- Live Mint) West Bengal's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Manoj Agarwal, has been appointed Chief Secretary of the Suvendu Adhikari-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state, an official order issued on Monday said.

This came a week after the assembly election results were declared and two days after Adhikari took oath as the first BJP Chief Minister of the state.

The order also stated that the incumbent Chief Secretary Dushyant Nariala has been appointed as Principal Resident Commissioner in New Delhi. Nariala, a 1993-batch IAS officer, had earlier been named Chief Secretary by the election authorities, replacing Nandini Chakravorty in the post of the state's top bureaucrat.

Who is Manoj Agarwal?

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.5 QUESTIONS1Who is Manoj Agarwal and what is his new role in the West Bengal government?⌵

Manoj Agarwal, a 1990-batch IAS officer, has been appointed as the Chief Secretary of the Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government in West Bengal. He previously served as the state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).

2What was Manoj Agarwal's role during the West Bengal assembly elections?⌵

As the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Manoj Agarwal oversaw the Election Commission-mandated Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. This involved removing approximately 91 lakh names from the electoral rolls ahead of the assembly elections.

3What is Manoj Agarwal's educational background and previous administrative experience?⌵

Manoj Agarwal is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur. He has held significant positions in various West Bengal government departments, including Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Food, Fire and Emergency Services, and Forest. He also chaired the State Highways Authority and served as Principal Secretary of the Food and Supplies Department.

4Why was Manoj Agarwal appointed Chief Secretary by the Suvendu Adhikari government?⌵

The appointment came shortly after the BJP formed the government in West Bengal. Agarwal is due for retirement in July but is likely to receive an extension, reflecting the BJP government's confidence in his administrative capabilities under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.

5Who was appointed as the new Chief Secretary of West Bengal?⌵

Manoj Agarwal, the former Chief Electoral Officer, has been appointed as the Chief Secretary of the Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government in West Bengal.

Agarwal, a 1990-batch IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre, had previously overseen the Election Commission -mandated Special Intensive Revision (SIR ) exercise in the state ahead of the assembly elections, during which approximately 91 lakh names were removed from the electoral rolls.

Agarwal was moved to the West Benga forest department before being brought back to a prominent role as the state's CEO.

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In that position, he oversaw the politically sensitive SIR exercise. The initiative was described by the BJP as an“essential electoral roll clean-up drive”, while the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) slammed it, alleging it was an attempt to "disenfranchise legitimate voters at the BJP's behest".

Agarwal is due to retire in July this year; however, according to PTI citing sources in the state secretariat suggest he is likely to be granted an extension, reportedly reflecting the BJP government's confidence in his ability to manage and implement key administrative policies under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's first term in office.

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Agarwal is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. He has had a long and varied administrative career, serving in several important departments of the West Bengal government, comprising Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Food, Fire and Emergency Services, and Forest. He has also held significant responsibilities at the central level, officials said, according to PTI.

He previously chaired the State Highways Authority, where he was involved in planning the elevated corridor over the Kona Expressway. The project is a major infrastructure upgrade aimed at reducing traffic congestion by creating a six-lane, signal-free route. The 7.8-km corridor, designed to improve connectivity to the Kolkata port, is currently under construction.

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The Kona Expressway serves as a key arterial route linking Kolkata with National Highway 19, which leads toward Delhi, and National Highway 16, which connects to Mumbai.

During his tenure as Principal Secretary of the West Bengal Food and Supplies Department, Manoj Agarwal directed that food coupons under the state's Public Distribution System be distributed by government officials rather than political representatives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This decision is reported to have displeased the then leadership of the TMC.

The BJP formed the government in the state for the first time after a decisive victory over the TMC. The party won 207 seats in the 294-member legislative assembly, while the a TMC was reduced to 80 seats.

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