The long-standing friction between West Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal and the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-led West Bengal Government has reached a boiling point this week. What began as an administrative dispute over the ‘under adjudication’ status of thousands of voters has now escalated into a personal war of words involving Central Bureau of Investigation chargesheets and disproportionate asset allegations.
The row began Monday when CEO Agarwal took to X to clarify why several names in the electoral roll, published on February 28 as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) were marked as ‘under adjudication”.
Agarwal said these cases were referred to judicial officers, under the guidance of the Calcutta High Court and Supreme Court, because certain electoral registration officers (EROs) and assistant EROs (AEROs) failed to decide them after hearings.
The statement quickly provoked a strong reaction from the West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS) Officers’ Association, with general secretary Saikat Asraf Ali, denying any responsibility on the part of EROs/AEROs for the delays.
“This is completely untrue and emphatically denied…. Micro Observers and Roll Observers engaged by the ECI have disagreed and sent back many cases already disposed of by EROs… without any observations,” Ali wrote. He called Agarwal’s attempt to assign blame “demeaning” to officers working day and night and said it “adversely affects their morale”.
Agarwal hit back, warning officers to stay within the “Lakshman Rekha” (legal boundary) of conduct rules and cautioned the association against acting as a “spokesperson” for officers who are technically on “deemed deputation” to the Election Commission.
The administrative spat turned personal when Minister of State (independent charge) for Finance Chandrima Bhattacharya intervened. Rather than addressing the electoral roll, she attacked Agarwal’s personal integrity by citing a past CBI investigation.
In a social media post, she wrote, “…But where was this moral sermon when, as per a CBI charge-sheet, nearly 30 bank accounts and six plots worth crores – three in Dwarka and others in Gurgaon, Greater Noida and Kolkata were allegedly linked to your wife ? Before preaching ethics, answer the questions on record. Accountability first, lectures later.”
The row did not stop there. On Tuesday morning, Agarwal defended his wife and said that the CBI chargesheet cited by the TMC ended in an “honourable acquittal”. He said his wife has owned property since before their marriage and has been a regular Income Tax filer since 1983. He added that all assets and income sources had been declared and assessed by the IT department over the last 43 years.
“The attempt to ‘give a dog a bad name and hang him’ stands exposed after this long agnipariksha. Truth and the rule of law will undoubtedly prevail. Satyamev Jayate,” Agarwal said.