Ahead of Punjab Assembly election in 2027, two famous personalities from West Bengal have been appointed to key posts in Niti Aayog, according to official sources.Renowned economist Ashok Lahiri and scientist Gobardhan Das were named Niti Aayog vice-chairman and member, respectively, on Friday.Lahiri, a member of the 15th Finance Commission and a former chief economic advisor to the Government of India, is a BJP MLA in West Bengal. He is not running in the state’s current Assembly election.At present, Das serves as the director of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal. He was a professor and chair of Special Centre for Molecular Medicine at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi before taking up this role.Interestingly, Lahiri will rise to the second position in Niti Aayog after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is the chairman of the government think tank.According to the sources, Lahiri and Das would soon be formally appointed as members and vice chairs of Niti Aayog, respectively.The announcement of Lahiri and Das’ appointments to important positions coincides with West Bengal’s election, where BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) are engaged in a fierce contest.