West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant under inspection

West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant is at present under strong scrutiny and pressure from the Election Commission of India (ECI). He was summoned to Delhi by the ECI to explain the state government’s refusal to instantly suspend or file FIRs against officials accused of manipulating the electoral rolls. Pant protected the state’s stance, disagreeing that suspending these officials without a proper inquiry would be unreasonably harsh and could demoralize the bureaucracy. Even though four officials were eventually suspended, no FIRs have been lodged, further escalating tensions between the state government and the ECI. Pant’s handling of this issue has placed him squarely under the radar as political and administrative challenges rise ahead of the 2026 state assembly elections. This continuing controversy highlights the clash between the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government and the central election authority, with Pant caught in the middle as the administrative face of the state.