Bengal SIR special observer appointed advisor to CM Suvendu Adhikari

Retired Indian Administrative Service officer Subrata Gupta was on Saturday appointed as the advisor to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, PTI reported.

Ahead of the West Bengal elections, Gupta had been appointed by the Election Commission as the Special Roll Observer for the special intensive revision exercise.

Dr. Subrata Gupta, IAS (Retd.) appointed as Advisor to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. pic.twitter.com/zFkatOvh18— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2026

Earlier in the day, Adhikari took oath as the new chief minister, becoming the first Bharatiya Janata Party leader to hold the post.

Adhikari was sworn in five days after the BJP defeated the Trinamool Congress in the Assembly elections, ending the 15-year rule of the Mamata Banerjee-led party. The BJP won 207 seats in the 294-member Assembly, while the TMC won 80 constituencies.

The special intensive revision of voter rolls was carried out before the elections.

Final rolls published in February initially excluded more than 61 lakh voters, with the process continuing through supplementary lists and adjudication of about 60 lakh “doubtful and pending” cases.

By April 6, about 91 lakh voters, nearly 11.9% of the electorate before the process began, had been removed. Lakhs of cases challenging their removal from the voter list are pending before appellate tribunals. The exact number is unclear.

Along with West Bengal, the special intensive revision exercise was also conducted in eight other states...

Read more