Telangana’s first woman Chief Secretary A Santhi Kumari (IAS:1989:TG) is going to retire from service this month-end. It has given rise to speculation in the state bureaucracy as to whether she will get an extension or someone else will take over. Her chances of getting an extension appear dim in the light of the recent State government’s order to terminate the services of all officers, serving on extension,
Amid the ongoing speculation, the names of three senior bureaucrats are being widely discussed as potential contenders for the Chief Secretary’s post: K Ramakrishna Rao (IAS:1991:TG), Special Chief Secretary of Finance and Planning; Jayesh Ranjan (IAS:1992:TG), Special Chief Secretary of Information Technology, Electronics & Communications and Industries & Commerce; and Vikas Raj (IAS:1992:TG), Special Chief Secretary of Roads and Buildings.
K Ramakrishna Rao, known for his fiscal acumen, is said to be the front-runner for the coveted post. But there is a hitch – he does not have much service left as he is set to retire in August this year itself. There is, however, a perception among employees in the Secretariat that the government might prefer to utilize his services as Advisor (Finance) after retirement.
Special Chief Secretary Jayesh Ranjan is next in line, but his Bihar-origin might play spoilsport. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is said to have reservations about bureaucrats hailing from Bihar occupying top positions in Telangana. He is said to have ridiculed the previous BRS Government for allotting top positions to officials from Bihar in 2023, when he was state Congress President.
Reddy was so disdainful of the bureaucrats from Bihar that he even invoked “Telugu pride” and asked the people whether they wanted the ‘Bihari batch’ to rule Telangana. He went to the extent of taking the names of former Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, former DGP Anjani Kumar, Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar and others to prove his point.
Under this background, a non-Bihari bureaucrat may succeed in grabbing the prized catch. In that case, Special Chief Secretary Vikas Raj seems to be another option. He has long service left till 2028 and is known for strong administrative wisdom.
