BENGALURU: While Additional Chief Secretary ISN Prasad retires in June and his spouse, Chief Secretary Vandita Sharma, in August, another power couple is waiting in the wings. Rajneesh Goel and his wife Shalini Rajneesh, if selected, could occupy the high office for around four years.
They will be the next power couple to get a shot at the top post after the legendary Bipul Bhattacharya and Teresa Bhattacharya, both of whom were chief secretaries two decades ago. Procedurally, the chief secretary is selected by a high-level official selection team and Rajneesh Goel and Shalini Rajneesh will have to clear that hurdle first.
ISN Prasad is the “unseen bureaucratic brain” who superannuates in June, while his wife Vandita Sharma is set to retire two months later in August. Rajneesh Goel, who is in the CM’s office, will have an 11-month tenure and his wife Shalini Rajneesh, who is an 89-batch officer, will have a three-year tenure.
The Goel couple hails from Chandigarh and Rajnish Goel’s father is a well-known academic locally. ISN Prasad is a Manipur cadre officer and was given a change of cadre after he married Vandita Sharma, who was from the Karnataka cadre.
Shalini to have 3-year term as Chief Secretary
In contrast, both Rajneesh and Shalini Rajneesh are from Karnataka Cadre. Recently, Rajneesh managed to get the Additional Chief Secretary job at the chief minister’s office (CMO), which is a sign that things are fine between him and the present political dispensation.
Rajneesh Goel is a 1986-batch officer with the same seniority as Vandita Sharma, but is about 11 months her junior. Meanwhile, Shalini is expected to be the choice for the top post as there is no other officer with that seniority in the government.
The other officer, Ajay Seth, stands a chance. But since he is already an officer in Delhi, which is a ‘bureaucrat’s paradise’, he may not move back to Bengaluru, providing a clear way for Shalini. Another officer Atiq Ahmed may not have seniority on his side.
Another officer in the reckoning is V Manjula, but she is junior in service to Rajneesh Goel. Rakesh Singh could be a contender, but he retires in May next year. As a thumb rule, a bureaucrat will get a chance to become a chief secretary if they have a good equation with the chief minister.
They should have cleared the civil services at 22 years of age to make it to the top post. On Rajneesh Goel and Shalini Rajneesh, former bureaucrat K Jairaj said, “They are a bright and pleasant couple. They are work-oriented and are in the mould of true IAS officers. I respect them.’’