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 

A senior IAS officer of the 1990 West Bengal cadre, Agarwal has served in senior roles in the Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department, Food Department, Fire and Emergency Services, and the Forest Department, among others.

Most recently, he was entrusted with overseeing election-related responsibilities in the state as the Chief Electoral Officer. In that role, he supervised the conduct of the 2026 Assembly polls as well as the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists.

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.

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