EC observer is new CM advisor

Kolkata: Forty-eight hours after he was relieved by the EC as the special observer on May 7, retired IAS officer Subrata Gupta was on Saturday appointed adviser to chief minister Suvendu Adhikari. The appointment order came within hours after Adhikari took oath as CM at a ceremony at Brigade Parade Grounds.The state also appointed IAS officer Shantanu Bala as the CM's private secretary. Bala, a 2017-batch IAS officer, earlier served as additional district magistrate of South 24 Parganas. The notification on appointing Gupta, issued from Nabanna, stated that the appointment was made "in the interest of public service" and will remain effective until further orders. On Gupta's appointment, CM Adhikari said, "In the earlier govt, efficient and impartial officers were not given any work and had to leave the state (for central deputation). We want to give these efficient officers a chance to work for people. We want to bring back these officers." Gupta was earlier appointed by the EC as special roll observer during the SIR exercise. Following EC's reported satisfaction with his role during SIR, he was later entrusted with responsibilities as special observer for the assembly poll. The 2026 assembly poll was largely peaceful, with no reported deaths during the election process and no major allegations of booth capturing or large-scale electoral violence.Election officials and political observers credited the smooth conduct of polling to the EC's strict monitoring mechanism. Administrative circles also acknowledged the role played by Bengal CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal and Gupta in ensuring peaceful election. Sources said Adhikari met Gupta after the completion of the election process and held extensive talks with him. During the meeting, Adhikari offered him the position of adviser, sources added. Gupta, a PhD from IIT-Kharagpur, served as DM of Jalpaiguri and Burdwan. He also served as an executive director and later MD in the WBIDC from 2007 to 2011, a period marked by Tata Motors' unceremonious exit from Singur.