Election Commission Favours BJP ? BJP Favours Election Commissioner ? Manoj Agarwal Appointed Chief Secretary in West Bengal.

The new BJP government in West Bengal has appointed Manoj Kumar Agarwal a senior IAS officer as the new Chief Secretary of the state just days after taking charge. Manoj Agarwal served as the Chief Electoral Officer during the recently concluded 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections that brought the BJP to power for the first time ending TMC rule. The appointment has triggered a huge political storm with opposition parties claiming that it shows Election Commission favours BJP and BJP favours Election Commissioner. Many leaders say the quick reward to the officer who conducted the polls raises doubts about the neutrality of the entire election process.

TMC leaders including Saket Gokhale and Sagarika Ghose strongly attacked the move calling it beyond shameless. They pointed out that the same officer who managed the Election Commission work in the state during polls has now been given the top bureaucratic post by the BJP government under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Rahul Gandhi also criticised the development saying in the BJP EC chor bazaar the bigger the theft the bigger the reward. Opposition parties allege that large scale deletions of voter names happened during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls under Agarwal and this appointment is seen as a reward for favouring one party. The timing of the decision just two days after the new government took oath has made the controversy even bigger.

Manoj Agarwal a 1990 batch IAS officer was selected by the Election Commission as Chief Electoral Officer. During his tenure TMC had complained multiple times alleging bias and partisan behaviour including an incident in Nandigram where he was seen with BJP leaders. The opposition also raised questions about the deletion of around 91 lakh names from voter lists. After BJP formed the government Agarwal was immediately elevated to Chief Secretary replacing previous arrangements. BJP has defended the appointment saying he is a senior and capable officer appointed as per rules. However the opposition maintains that this move openly proves Election Commission favours BJP and BJP favours Election Commissioner making a mockery of democratic institutions.

This development has left many people in West Bengal worried about the independence of key institutions like the Election Commission. While the BJP government focuses on implementing its agenda common citizens hope that governance improves and daily issues get solved. The coming days will show how the new administration performs under the new Chief Secretary. The strong reactions from opposition parties have once again brought the debate on electoral fairness and post poll rewards into the spotlight. People across the state are watching closely to see whether this appointment helps in better administration or creates more political division in the coming months