Her removal from Raj Bhavan irked Mamata Banerjee govt: Who is Nandini Chakravorty?

When Banerjee became the chief minister in 2011, Chakravorty was the executive director of the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC). At the time, an officer of the 1990 batch of the West Bengal cadre, Subrata Gupta, was the managing director of WBIDC. When Gupta was subsequently sent to Delhi on deputation and Chakravorty took charge of the corporation. During this time, she also served as the secretary of the information and culture department. She was said to have been one of the most powerful bureaucrats in the state at the time.

However, following the matter of clearing a payment to a media house, she was moved to the relatively low-key post of state gazette editor.

But Chakravorty slowly gained the CM’s confidence and went on to become the secretary of Sundarban affairs. She also worked at the food processing and horticulture department before becoming the principal secretary of the tourism department.

After former Governor Jadgeep Dhankhar became the Vice President last July, then Manipur governor La Ganesan was appointed the acting Governor. This is when Chakravorty became the principal secretary to the Governor.

Sources in the Governor’s office said Bose was “angry with Chakravorty over a speech he delivered at the convocation programme of St Xavier’s College earlier this month”. The speech, written by Chakravorty, was full of praise for Banerjee and led to criticism from the BJP.

The state secretariat initially did not react after Bose sent the note to Chakravorty on February 12 relieving her of her duties. Sources in the government told The Indian Express that Bose “should have ideally first sent the note to the chief secretary of the government”. The TMC, however, stepped up its criticism and said as long as the Governor “works according to the legal provisions and maintains an air of courtesy, there will be courtesy on our part”. He added, “But if the Governor acts beyond his limits against the state government, then the tone of reactions from our part will change.”

According to sources in the Raj Bhavan, Bose may soon send a list of IAS officers to the government to choose the new principal secretary for his office.