Neelam Meena, a 1998-batch IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre, was appointed as the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal

Neelam Meena, a 1998-batch IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre, was appointed as the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal

¨     Neelam Meena, a 1998-batch IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre, was appointed as the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal on 25 May 2026.

¨     She became the first woman to hold the post of Chief Electoral Officer in West Bengal.

¨     The appointment was made by the Election Commission of India.

¨     The office of the Chief Electoral Officer functions under the framework of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

¨     The Chief Electoral Officer is the senior-most election administration official in a state.

¨     The office works under the supervision of the Election Commission of India.

¨     The CEO coordinates voter lists, polling arrangements, and election-related administration at the state level.

¨     Neelam Meena replaced Manoj Kumar Agarwal, who was promoted as the Chief Secretary of West Bengal.

¨     The West Bengal government had sent a panel of three IAS officers for the selection of the new Chief Secretary.

¨     The panel included 2006-batch IAS officer Tanmay Chakraborty and 2007-batch IAS officer Moumita Godara Basu.

¨     Before this appointment, Neelam Meena had been serving as Principal Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs since 19 February 2024.

¨     In her new role, she will also hold the designation of Principal Secretary in charge of the Election Department in the state secretariat.