Ongoing Ambiguity Surrounds Appointment of West Bengal CEO
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Kolkata, Jan 1 (NationPress) Dibyendu Das, the Additional Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, will take on the role of acting CEO in the state until a permanent successor is designated after the retirement of Aariz Aftab.
Aftab stepped down from his position on Tuesday. According to sources within the office of the CEO West Bengal, Das has been selected to fill this role due to being the senior-most among the current Additional CEOs and having previous experience as an acting CEO.
Simultaneously, the uncertainty surrounding the selection of Aftab's permanent successor persists, as the West Bengal government has not yet submitted a list of eligible Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers from the state cadre to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
In accordance with established rules, the ECI is responsible for choosing one name from the list of IAS officers provided by the state government.
Insiders have indicated that it is quite unusual for no panel to have been sent to the ECI prior to the retirement or replacement of the current CEO in the state.
It remains at the discretion of the ECI whether to wait for the state government to submit the IAS officer panel or to instruct Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to address the situation without delay.
Aftab, a 1991 batch IAS officer from the West Bengal cadre, was among the longest-serving CEOs in the state, having assumed office in February 2017. Under his leadership, the state conducted three significant elections, including the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 and 2024, as well as the state Assembly elections in 2024.
His time as CEO was largely free from controversies. Indeed, prior to the general elections earlier this year, his efforts were commended as he reportedly warned District Magistrates, Superintendents of Police, and Police Commissioners that he would not accept any decline in law and order anywhere in the state under any circumstances.
However, his initial appointment was not without controversy. The first two panels submitted by the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government were rejected by the ECI. Ultimately, Aftab's name was selected from the third list provided by the Mamata government.
