Who Is Manoj Agarwal? IAS Officer Who Oversaw Bengal Polls, SIR Appointed Chief Secretary

Last Updated:May 11, 2026, 19:54 IST

The IAS officer supervised the conduct of the 2026 Bengal Assembly polls as well as the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists.

Manoj Agarwal, who served as the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) during the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections and oversaw the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, has been appointed as the state’s new Chief Secretary.

Over a long administrative career, Agarwal has handled several key departments in the West Bengal government.

All About Manoj Agarwal 

Before taking charge as West Bengal’s CEO, Agarwal had spent decades in the state administration. Earlier, he also served as the District Magistrate of Uttar Dinajpur, where he developed close professional ties with former Congress leader Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi. Agarwal later moved to Delhi and worked as Dasmunsi’s personal secretary when the latter was the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, according to a report in Zee News.

A 1990-batch IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre, Agarwal most recently handled election-related responsibilities in the state as CEO. He oversaw the 2026 Assembly elections along with the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

In 2017, he was appointed Principal Secretary of the Food and Supplies Department. However, his tenure in the department lasted around a year and ended after allegations of irregularities in the public distribution system surfaced, following which he was shifted out.

Agarwal’s appointment as CEO in March 2025 had also attracted attention. The Election Commission had reportedly rejected the state government’s first list of recommended names and sought a fresh panel. Agarwal was later chosen from among a group of senior officers who were nearing retirement.

Agarwal’s Appointment Comes After BJP’s Bengal Victory

Under the Representation of the People Act, a Chief Electoral Officer is appointed by the Election Commission of India in consultation with the state government. While carrying out election duties, the officer works under the control and supervision of the Election Commission.

CEOs are typically officers from the state IAS cadre and resume regular administrative responsibilities once election work concludes. There is no legal restriction on such officers returning to government postings or participating in state administrative functions after completing their election-related assignments.

Agarwal’s appointment comes days after BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as the Chief Minister of West Bengal. The BJP government on Monday announced cabinet portfolios for five ministers, who were sworn in alongside Adhikari on Friday.

BJP leaders Dilip Ghosh, Ashok Kirtaniya, Khudiram Tudu, Agnimitra Paul and Nisith Pramanik were appointed as ministers of the newly-formed BJP government in West Bengal, after the party stormed to power on a historic mandate, ending Mamata Banerjee’s 15-year reign.

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