IITian, Nano project link: Who is Subrata Gupta, the man Suvendu picked within hours of becoming Bengal CM?

After a historic mandate, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has formed the government in West Bengal for the first time under the leadership of Suvendu Adhikari. Hours after he took oath as chief minister, Adhikari appointed retired IAS officer Subrata Gupta as his advisor.

Who is Subrata Gupta?

Gupta, a native of West Bengal, is a retired 1990-batch IAS officer whose cadre was also West Bengal.

The Election Commission had appointed Subrata Gupta as the Special Election Observer for the recently concluded Assembly elections. He oversaw the special revision of voter lists in West Bengal. He has also held key portfolios under both the Left and TMC governments. During his tenure, Gupta oversaw 27 different departments.

Subrata Gupta has also held important positions in the central government. In October 2024, he was appointed Secretary of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries. Gupta retired in May 2025.

Alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, MBA from London

An alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, Gupta also holds an MBA from London. As Managing Director of the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) during the Left Front government, he played a key role in the land acquisition process for the Nano car project in Singur.

Subrata Gupta later also led the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Limited (KMRCL). He was the head of KMRCL in 2012-13. It was under his leadership that the Kolkata Metro began work on the country's first underwater project.

When work on this project began at Howrah Maidan, Subrata Gupta was the Managing Director of KMRCL. There have been allegations against the Mamata Banerjee-led government that Subrata Gupta did not receive the support he deserved during his tenure as Managing Director of KMRCL.

Mamata Banerjee's government was also accused of neglecting Subrata Gupta. Allegations were made that the government transferred Subrata Gupta to less important departments like State Horticulture and Food Processing, while assigning more important departments to junior officers.

For nearly three years, beginning in 2020, Gupta was assigned to departments like State Horticulture, Food Processing, Science and Technology, and Biotechnology. This led to discontent and controversy within the West Bengal bureaucracy.

Subrata Gupta was later given important responsibilities by the central government. Now, following the formation of the government in West Bengal, Subrata Gupta has been appointed as Advisor to the Chief Minister.