With Haryana Chief Secretary Vivek Joshi (IAS:1989:HY) appointed as Election Commissioner on Monday, the state government has begun the search for his successor.
The new Chief Secretary is expected to be chosen from among five 1990-batch IAS officers—Sudhir Rajpal, Sumita Misra, Anurag Rastogi, Anand Mohan Sharan, and Raja Sekhar Vundru. According to sources, Rastogi is the frontrunner for the position, despite being set to retire on June 30, 2025.
Currently, all five officers serve as Additional Chief Secretaries in different departments—Rajpal in Health, Misra in Home, Rastogi in Finance, Sharan in Environment, and Vundru in Agriculture. In terms of seniority, Rajpal ranks highest, followed by Misra.
Rajpal is due to retire on November 30, 2026, Misra on January 31, 2027, Sharan on August 31, 2025, and Vundru on July 31, 2026.
Joshi had been serving as Haryana’s Chief Secretary since November 2024, following the retirement of TVSN Prasad (IAS:1988:HY) on October 31. He was repatriated to Haryana on October 26, 2024, at the request of the state government, and subsequently appointed to the post.
