With the appointment of a new Chief Minister, the hunt for a new Chief Secretary has gained momentum. The current Chief Secretary, Usha Sharma, is set to conclude her term on December 31. Just five days thereafter, the state will welcome a new administrative head. In this context, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma is now tasked with selecting a new Chief Secretary, and indications suggest that the new appointee might come from Delhi.
Presently, five of the top 10 IAS officers in Rajasthan are serving in Delhi. High-ranking IAS officers at the Additional Chief Secretary level, namely Shubhra Singh, Sanjay Malhotra, V. Srinivasan, Rohit Kumar Singh, and Rajat Kumar Mishra, are vying for this coveted position. Additionally, Rajeshwar Singh and Sudhansh Pant are also under consideration for the Chief Secretary role.
The current Chief Secretary, Usha Sharma, was granted an extension in June 2023. Originally scheduled to retire in June 2023, she received a six-month extension, set to conclude on December 31. Several senior IAS officers are in the running for the Chief Secretary position.
Strong contenders include officers such as V. Srinivas, Shubhra Singh, Rajeshwar Singh, Rohit Kumar Singh, Sanjay Malhotra, Sudhansh Pant, Abhay Kumar, Rajat Kumar Mishra, Tanmay Kumar, Subodh Agrawal, Akhil Agrawal, Alok, Aparna Agrawal, Shikhar Agrawal, and Sandeep Verma.
Every government traditionally witnesses significant changes in the bureaucracy. With the formation of a new government, substantial alterations are anticipated in the bureaucracy. Typically, a transfer list of IAS officers is issued promptly after the government assumes office. After taking the oath in 2013, Vasundhara Raje replaced 30 officers within the first eight weeks. Similarly, in 2018, Ashok Gehlot released a transfer list of 40 officers within a week.
The present establishment includes almost a dozen IAS officers who have held the same position for the past two years. These officers are also likely to face transfers. With the new government taking shape, new officers may find opportunities in key departments such as Finance, Home, Electricity, and the Chief Minister’s Office.
The dynamics of the power corridor in the secretariat might undergo a shift with the Chief Minister taking the oath. Ashok Gehlot or Vasundhara Raje has been at the helm for nearly 25 years, and during this tenure, officers favoured by them have maintained dominance in the bureaucracy. With Bhajan Lal emerging as a new face, he has appointed T. Ravikant as his Principal Secretary on a temporary basis. The new Chief Secretary may usher in a change, bringing in new officers to key departments such as Finance, Home, Electricity, and the Chief Minister’s Office.
