In a significant move, the West Bengal government, led by Suvendu Adhikari, has appointed Manoj Agarwal, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), as the state’s Chief Secretary. This decision has drawn sharp criticism from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which labeled the action as “outrageous” and “brazen,” asserting it raises serious doubts about the integrity of the state’s electoral process.
The TMC had previously engaged in several confrontations with Agarwal during the elections, accusing him of favoring the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Sagarika Ghose, the TMC’s Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha, expressed her concerns in an interview with The Indian Express, stating that this appointment serves as “brazen proof” of the questionable conduct surrounding the elections in West Bengal. “The so-called ‘neutral umpire’ has now been rewarded with a top bureaucratic position in the BJP government. Can anyone genuinely believe that the elections here were fair and free? This is both outrageous and shameless,” Ghose asserted.
Derek O’Brien, the TMC’s leader in the Upper House, added a sarcastic remark, suggesting that the appointment was merely a “coincidence.”
Former Rajya Sabha member and TMC leader Saket Gokhale also weighed in, accusing the BJP and the Election Commission of openly manipulating the election process. “Are the courts oblivious or complicit? This has crossed all lines of decency,” he stated.
The TMC’s grievances with election officials escalated during the polls, eventually reaching the Supreme Court. The party filed a formal complaint against Agarwal, alleging that he exerted “undue influence” and misused his powers to sway the electorate.
In response, the BJP has defended Agarwal’s new role. The party stated, “Unlike Mamata Banerjee, who undermined the bureaucracy by disregarding IAS regulations and bypassing numerous officers, the BJP government in West Bengal has appointed the most senior IAS officer, Manoj Agarwal, as Chief Secretary, fulfilling its commitment to uphold the rule of law in the state,” according to a statement from the BJP’s Bengal unit on X.
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