Neelam Meena appointed Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal

Neelam Meena, a senior IAS officer of the Bengal cadre, was appointed the new Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal on Monday (May 25, 2026). The outgoing CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal was recently appointed as the Chief Secretary of the State after the Bharatiya Janta Party came to power in West Bengal. 

“I am directed to forward herewith the Commission’s Notification No.154/WB/2026-P.Admn, dated 25.05.2026 appointing Smt. Neelam Meena, IAS (WB:1998), as the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, in place of Sh. Manoj Kumar Agarwal, IAS,” a letter from the Principal Secretary of the State addressed to the CEO office of West Bengal stated on Monday (May 25, 2026).

Ms Meena will not hold any other duties of the State Government and will solely function as the CEO of the State. The State Government had sent a recommendation of three senior IAS officers to the Election Commission of India (ECI), including Neelam Meena, Tanmay Chakrabarty and Moumita Godara Basu. Ms. Meena was selected and appointed. 

Among the three recommendations sent by the State, Ms. Meena was the senior-most officer. Mr. Chakraborty was of the 2006 batch and Ms. Basu was of the 2007 batch of IAS officers.  

The senior IAS officer has been asked to assume office immediately, and a compliance report of the same is to be filed with the ECI immediately. 

Ms. Meena was serving as the Principal Secretary of the Consumer Affairs Department. In her long career, she has also served as a District Magistrate, Chief Executive Officer, Sub-Divisional Officer, and other administrative roles. 

Manoj Kumar Agarwal’s tenure as the CEO had turned turbulent towards the end. The Special Intensive Revision in West Bengal was conducted in the State under Mr. Agarwal’s purview. He was also in charge of the high-stakes State Assembly elections which led to a power change in the State after 15 years. 

However, Mr. Agarwal’s appointment as the Chief Secretary raised many questions in the political circles. Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose said that Mr. Agarwal was rewarded with the post of top bureaucrat by the BJP and raised questions about the fairness of the elections.