An official statement stated that Manoj Kumar Agarwal, who has been serving as the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal since 1990, was named as the new Chief Secretary of Government of West Bengal on Monday.
According to the Governor’s order, Shri Manoj Kumar Agarwal will serve as Chief Secretary of West Bengal until further notice. Agarwal is currently the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal and also serves as the ex officio Additional Chief Secretary of the Home and Hill Affairs (Election) Department of the Government of West Bengal. In a notice issued by Rajesh Pandey, Additional Chief Secretary, Personnel & Administrative Reforms, it was stated that this was done to serve the public interest.
As a prominent member of the state’s administrative leadership, Agarwal was known colloquially as “The Three Musketeers.” He was also instrumental in the just-concluded Assembly elections. N.K. Mishra, a special police observer, and election observer Subrata Gupta were also part of the group. A large number of people cast ballots, and the voting process was characterised by a lack of violence compared to the state’s history of violent elections.
Agarwal, an IAS officer from the West Bengal cadre who joined the service in 1990, was one of three candidates put forward by the state government; the Election Commission of India ultimately chose Agarwal.
He is well-known for his ability to remain calm and collected under pressure, and his colleagues praise him as an effective administrator who is also honest and forthright. It has been stated that the Commission mostly adopted his suggestions made throughout the election process, including the reduction of polling stages from several to two, as compared to other elections.
Image Credit: Indian Express
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