Neelam Meena, a 1998-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, was appointed as the first woman Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal on Monday, officials aware of the developments said.
“ECI has appointed Neelam Meena as CEO of West Bengal in place of Manoj Kumar Agarwal. She is the first woman CEO of the eastern state,” an official said.
Agarwal, who won praise for holding largely violence-free Assembly elections and criticism of mass disenfranchisement during the Special Intensive Review (SIR) exercise under his watch, was appointed chief secretary of West Bengal under the newly formed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government on May 12.
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Earlier, the state administration appointed Subrata Gupta, who was a special observer appointed by the Election Commission of India, as advisor to the Prime Minister, days after the Assembly election results were announced.
The state government has sent the names of three senior IAS officers, including Meena, Tanmay Chakraborty and Moumita Godara Basu.
Meena has held important positions in the past including Principal Secretary, Director, Secretary and Vice President in various state government departments.
