NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday appointed senior IAS officer Neelam Meena as the new Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, after the state government elevated former CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal to the post of Chief Secretary. Meena, a 1998-batch IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre, succeeds Agarwal, a 1990-batch officer who recently assumed charge as the state’s top bureaucrat following his oversight of the Assembly elections. After Agarwal’s elevation, the West Bengal government sent a panel of three senior IAS officers to the ECI for consideration for the CEO position.

The shortlist included Meena, 2006-batch Tanmay Chakrabarty and 2007-batch Moumita Godara Basu. In a communication to Chief Secretary Agarwal, the ECI said it had approved Meena’s appointment as the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal. “The Commission has approved the name of Neelam Meena for appointment as the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, in place of Manoj Kumar Agarwal, IAS,” the poll body said. The ECI has directed the state government to ensure Meena assumes charge immediately and requested a compliance report within a week. It also mandated that Meena relinquish all current responsibilities under the West Bengal government before taking over as CEO.

The Commission further stated that during her tenure she must not hold any additional charge under the state government, except for the designation of Principal Secretary in charge of the Election Department at the state secretariat. Meena, who is currently Principal Secretary of the Consumer Affairs Department, brings wide administrative experience to the role. Her career includes serving as District Magistrate of Hooghly and as Chief Executive Officer of the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority. She has held key positions in the state’s Youth Services and Environment departments and completed a five-year central deputation with the Tea Board and the Union Ministry of Rural Development.