West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant is currently under intense 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 immediately suspend or file FIRs against officials accused of manipulating the electoral rolls. Pant defended the state’s stance, arguing that suspending these officials without a proper inquiry would be disproportionately harsh and could demoralize the bureaucracy. Although 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 ongoing 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.