Who is Manoj Kumar Agarwal? Bengal CEO appointed as West Bengal’s new chief secretary

West Bengal’s chief electoral officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal has been appointed the state’s new chief secretary, days after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed its first government in Bengal under chief minister Suvendu Adhikari. The appointment places a senior election administrator at the helm of the state bureaucracy at a politically significant moment.

A 1990-batch IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre, Agarwal replaced Dushyant Nariala as the state’s top bureaucrat. The chief secretary is the senior-most civil servant in the state government and plays a key role in coordination among departments and implementation of government decisions.

According to a notification issued by the department of personnel and administrative reforms, “The Governor is pleased to appoint Shri Manoj Kumar Agarwal, IAS (WB:1990), Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal and ex officio Additional Chief Secretary, Home and Hill Affairs (Election) Department... as Chief Secretary to the Government of West Bengal until further order(s).”

Who is Manoj Kumar Agarwal?

Born in July 1966, Agarwal studied engineering before joining the Indian Administrative Service. Over the years, he handled several senior positions in the Bengal administration, serving as principal secretary and commissioner across departments.

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He was appointed West Bengal’s chief electoral officer on August 12, 2025. In that role, he also served as ex officio additional chief secretary in the Home and Hill Affairs Department.

Agarwal came into national focus during the 2026 Bengal assembly elections, one of the most closely watched state polls in recent years. He supervised the special intensive revision of electoral rolls, during which nearly 9.1 million names were deleted, including 2.71 million entries flagged under the “logical discrepancy” category.

The revision exercise triggered criticism from opposition parties and civil society groups over alleged voter disenfranchisement. At the same time, the election machinery under his watch also received attention for conducting a largely violence-free election in a state long associated with poll-related clashes.

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Opposition targets government over Agarwal’s appointment

Soon after the announcement, the Trinamool Congress questioned the move.

“The so-called ' “neutral umpire' is rewarded with the post of top bureaucrat of the @BJP4India dispensation in Bengal. Does anyone still SERIOUSLY believe #bengalelections2026 were free and fair? Outrageous and brazen,” TMC MP Sagarika Ghose posted on X.

Agarwal took charge immediately and attended Chief Minister Adhikari’s first meeting with IAS officers on Monday.