Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the newly elected BJP government in West Bengal over the appointment of former chief electoral officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal as the new state chief secretary, alleging a nexus between the BJP and the Election Commission.
“In the BJP-EC thieves’ market – the bigger the theft, the bigger the reward,” Rahul Gandhi wrote in a post on X, responding to the appointment.
The statement came amid growing criticism from the opposition over the BJP government’s decision to appoint Manoj Kumar Agarwal – who oversaw the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections – as the state’s top bureaucrat within days of the saffron party coming to power.
Agarwal, a 1990-batch IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre, was serving as the state’s chief electoral officer during the high-voltage 2026 Assembly elections that saw the BJP win a landslide victory.
The BJP won 207 seats in the 294-member assembly, reducing the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress to 80 seats and ending the party’s long rule in the state.
The Transitional Military Council questions the impartiality of the Election Commission
The Trinamool Congress strongly objected to the appointment, claiming that it reinforces doubts about the impartiality of electoral authorities during elections.
TMC MP Sagarika Ghose accused the BJP government of rewarding supposedly “neutral governance” after the party’s landslide victory.
“The so-called ‘neutral arbiter’ has been rewarded with the post of chief bureaucrat in the @BJP4India administration in Bengal. Is there still anyone who seriously believes that the 2026 Bengal elections were free and fair? They are outrageous and shameless,” Ghose posted on X.
The appointment order was issued on Monday by the West Bengal government headed by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
“The Governor is pleased to appoint Mr. Manoj Kumar Agarwal, IAS (WB:1990), Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, ex-officio Additional Chief Secretary, Home Affairs and Hills (Elections) Department… as Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal until further order(s),” the notification said.
Agarwal replaced Dushyant Nariyala, who was appointed by the Election Commission ahead of the Assembly elections.
The move also sparked controversy because another election-linked official – former Special Controller of the Election Commission Subrata Gupta – was appointed as advisor to the Prime Minister soon after the BJP government was sworn in.
The focus turns to the controversial SIR
Opposition parties particularly pointed to Agarwal’s role in supervising the Special Intensive Review (SIR) of electoral lists ahead of the elections.
During the process, nearly 9.1 million names were removed from voter rolls across the state, including 2.71 million under the controversial “logical inconsistency” category.
The TMC and other opposition parties alleged that the revision process disproportionately affected voters perceived to support anti-BJP parties, although the Election Commission defended the practice as necessary to purify electoral rolls.
Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha elections were held under unprecedented security arrangements, including massive deployment of central forces across the state. Polling stations saw only sporadic clashes, a significant departure from Bengal’s history of politically violent elections.
Agarwal officially took charge as chief secretary on Monday and was seen sitting next to Adhikari during the chief minister’s first meeting with IAS officers after assuming office. He did not speak to reporters after the appointment.
The BJP begins reshaping the Bengal administration
The appointment came as the new BJP government started allocating ministerial portfolios after its historic win in West Bengal.
Among the key appointments, BJP leader Agnimitra Paul has been given charge of municipal affairs and urban development department besides women and child development.
Former Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh has been given charge of the posts of rural development and animal husbandry, while former Union minister Nisith Pramanik has taken charge of the North Bengal Ministry of Development, Sports and Youth Affairs.
Matua community leader Ashok Kirtania was appointed Food Minister, while tribal leader Kshodiram Tudu took charge of backward classes and minority affairs.
Prime Minister Adhikari has retained all remaining departments for the time being.
