Manoj Agarwal, who oversaw Bengal Assembly polls and SIR, appointed West Bengal Chief Secretary

The appointment places Agarwal, a senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, at the helm of the state bureaucracy.

Governor issues appointment order

According to an order issued by the Governor, Manoj Agarwal has been appointed as the Chief Secretary to the Government of West Bengal.

Before this appointment, Agarwal was serving as the Chief Election Officer of West Bengal and as the ex-officio Additional Chief Secretary of the Home and Hill Affairs Department (Election).

His role as CEO saw him oversee the conduct of the state Assembly elections and the Special Intensive Revision process, which was aimed at updating electoral rolls.

Meanwhile, Bengal Chief Secretary Dushyant Nariala has been appointed as the Principal Resident Commissioner in the rank of Additional Chief Secretary of the West Bengal government in New Delhi, according to a notification issued on Monday.

Senior-most IAS in Bengal

Agarwal is understood to be the senior-most IAS officer currently serving in West Bengal.

His elevation to the state’s highest bureaucratic post follows the established convention of appointing the most senior officer to the role of Chief Secretary.

The Chief Secretary acts as the administrative head of the state government and serves as the principal adviser to the Chief Minister on matters relating to governance and administration.

BJP welcomes the appointment

Following the announcement, sources in the BJP said the appointment reflected the party’s commitment to restoring institutional norms within the state administration.

According to BJP sources, the decision to appoint Manoj Agarwal as Chief Secretary was in line with the practice of selecting the senior-most IAS officer serving in the state.

They also said the move was intended to uphold established service rules and preserve the dignity of administrative institutions in West Bengal.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari held multiple meetings at Nabanna on May 11, 2026. Photo: IBNS

Subrata Gupta appointed advisor to CM

Earlier on Saturday, the newly formed BJP government in Bengal appointed retired IAS Subrata Gupta as the advisor to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.

The 1990-batch IAS officer had recently served as the Election Commission’s Special Roll Observer for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls conducted ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.

Key portfolios allocated

West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari on Monday finalised the allocation of key portfolios to five ministers during a meeting with BJP MLAs, signalling a swift administrative rollout following the formation of the state’s new BJP-led government.

Under the portfolio distribution, senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh was assigned the Rural Development, Panchayats and Animal Resources Development departments.

Ashok Kirtania was given charge of the Food Department, while Khudiram Tudu took over the Backward Classes Welfare Department.

Agnimitra Paul was entrusted with the Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Department, and Nisith Pramanik was allotted the North Bengal Development Department along with the Sports and Youth Affairs portfolios.

The allocation of responsibilities came shortly after the new government assumed office, with the Chief Minister moving quickly to put in place the administrative framework and assign ministers to major departments.