Lucknow / April 1, 2022
With Yogi Adityanath government 2.0 firmly in the saddle, a major bureaucratic reshuffle is in the offing in Uttar Pradesh in the coming weeks.
Since the model code of conduct is currently in force due to the UP Vidhan Parishad (Upper House) elections to be held for a few seats, the reshuffle has been postponed for the time being.
It is customary for a new government to realign the key bureaucratic postings according to its vision and agenda after coming to power.
Although Yogi became the first chief minister in the last 35 years to retain power in the state, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has now set its eyes on the next Lok Sabha elections.
Since the 2024 LS polls are merely two years away, the saffron outfit has started the groundwork for the big battle.
In this regard, the party recently dropped several ministers of Yogi 1.0 (2017-2022) from the new council of ministers. Besides, the departments of the new council of ministers have been reshuffled to reward performance and to introduce new faces.
Now, bureaucracy is in the line for a similar reshuffle. Some of the top Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers in the state are also due for retirement in the coming weeks.
This is another reason that the Yogi government has started the process of identifying suitable candidates among the UP cadre officers to be deployed on key posts, including Agricultural Production Commissioner (APC), Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner (IIDC), UP Revenue Board chairman etc.
Besides, the prominent posts of the additional chief secretaries (APC) and principal secretaries of different departments are on the block for reshuffle once the model of code is lifted by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Interestingly, a few senior officials, who were reportedly expecting the ruling BJP to lose in the recently held 2022 UP elections, and had even started cozying up to the opposition party leaders, are expected to be sidelined in the reshuffle.
Some district magistrates (DM) and chief development officers (CDO) are also likely to be shunted and a fresh crop of officers posted in their chair to improve the delivery of government schemes ahead of 2024 elections.