NEW DELHI: Flagging the lack of “financial and administrative autonomy” available to the chief electoral officer (CEO) of West Bengal, the Election Commission has directed the state chief secretary to create a separate election department , delinking it from the state govt’s home and hill affairs department that it is currently a subordinate office of, and ensure that it has a dedicated budget head.
A day after Manoj Kumar Agarwal was designated as the West Bengal CEO on 02.04.2025, the state govt had made him ex-officio additional chief secretary, home and hill affairs (election) department.
Referring to the “existing arrangement”, where the CEO’s office must rely on a minor permanent advance from the state’s finance department, EC, in a letter written to the chief secretary on July 17, noted that the CEO’s office has been categorised as a subordinate branch of the state home and hill affairs department, which is led by a principal secretary-level officer whereas the CEO himself is of additional chief secretary (ACS) rank.
“In light of the above and keeping in view the requirements of functional and institutional independence”, the Commission directed the state govt to create a separate election department, completely delinked from any other department of the state govt. “The election department should have a dedicated budget head. This will facilitate full financial and administrative autonomy to the CEO, as required for the effective and impartial conduct of elections,” the poll panel stated.
EC also asked suitable financial powers to be delegated to the CEO, on par with the ACS/principal secretary/secretary of other department to be given to the CEO. “A separate financial advisor needs to be posted in the election department to assist the CEO in effective discharge of his official duties,” it added.
With the West Bengal assembly poll due next year, EC said the state govt, to ensure institutional preparedness and seamless coordination, must fill up the four vacant posts of additional/joint.deputy CEO in the CEO’s office, in consultation with it.
A day after Manoj Kumar Agarwal was designated as the West Bengal CEO on 02.04.2025, the state govt had made him ex-officio additional chief secretary, home and hill affairs (election) department.
Referring to the “existing arrangement”, where the CEO’s office must rely on a minor permanent advance from the state’s finance department, EC, in a letter written to the chief secretary on July 17, noted that the CEO’s office has been categorised as a subordinate branch of the state home and hill affairs department, which is led by a principal secretary-level officer whereas the CEO himself is of additional chief secretary (ACS) rank.
“In light of the above and keeping in view the requirements of functional and institutional independence”, the Commission directed the state govt to create a separate election department, completely delinked from any other department of the state govt. “The election department should have a dedicated budget head. This will facilitate full financial and administrative autonomy to the CEO, as required for the effective and impartial conduct of elections,” the poll panel stated.
EC also asked suitable financial powers to be delegated to the CEO, on par with the ACS/principal secretary/secretary of other department to be given to the CEO. “A separate financial advisor needs to be posted in the election department to assist the CEO in effective discharge of his official duties,” it added.
With the West Bengal assembly poll due next year, EC said the state govt, to ensure institutional preparedness and seamless coordination, must fill up the four vacant posts of additional/joint.deputy CEO in the CEO’s office, in consultation with it.
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