Who Is Subrata Gupta? EC’s Observer For SIR Is Now West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari’s Advisor

Last Updated:May 10, 2026, 18:54 IST

Subrata Gupta was appointed by the ECI in November 2025 to oversee the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise

Retired IAS officer Subrata Gupta was appointed as the Advisor to the newly sworn-in West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on May 9.

His appointment has drawn significant attention because he served as the Special Roll Observer (SRO) for the Election Commission of India (ECI) during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls just prior to the 2026 Assembly elections.

Who is Dr Subrata Gupta?

A 1990-batch IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre, he holds a PhD from IIT Kharagpur. He has served as District Magistrate (DM) in Jalpaiguri and Burdwan.

He was the Managing Director (MD) of the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) from 2007 to 2011. He was formerly the Union Secretary for the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India.

What was his role in the 2026 West Bengal elections?

Gupta was appointed by the ECI in November 2025 to oversee the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. This process was intended to ensure a “clean" voter list by identifying and removing ineligible voters.

He is credited by administrative circles for conducting a largely peaceful and violence-free election.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by Mamata Banerjee, accused him of being an architect for the BJP’s agenda, specifically alleging the selective deletion of minority voters during the SIR.

What is his new designation?

Gupta was named to his new role within 48 hours of being relieved of his election duties.

His vast administrative experience is expected to help the new BJP-led administration with policy coordination and governance.

The appointment is part of a broader restructuring of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) under Suvendu Adhikari, which also included naming Shantanu Bala (2017-batch IAS) as the CM’s Private Secretary.

While the new government views him as a highly efficient officer, critics and political observers have raised concerns about institutional impartiality, given his recent role as a neutral election observer.

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