Karnataka: Chief secretary Vijay Bhaskar’s retirement next month triggers successor talk

BENGALURU: Notwithstanding the speculation over a leadership change in BJP’s Karnataka unit, the state executive is all set to get a new chief. For, incumbent chief secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar is slated to retire on December 31.
Bhaskar had taken over the reins in July 2018 following the retirement of then CS K Ratna Prabha. Though the process of appointment will start only in December, buzz is growing around who would be Bhaskar’s successor.
Going by the practice of replacing an incumbent CS with the next seniormost IAS officer, additional chief secretary to the government, P Ravikumar should don the role.If appointed, Kumar, the seniormost among serving IAS officers in Karnataka, will be in the top post for one and half years.
Senior IAS officers Vandita Sharma, Pradeep Singh Kharola, Mahendra Jain, ISN Prasad, Rajaneesh Goel and Rakesh Sharma follow Ravikumar on the seniority list.
“Going by precedence in Karnataka, Ravikumar should be the next CS. But there are instances in other states where seniority was overlooked in the appointment of the CS. The recently appointed CS of Rajasthan government superseded at least six seniors,” said an official.
However, Ravikumar has the advantage of having worked closely with chief minister BS Yediyurappa in the capacity of additional chief secretary to the CM and was relieved of his duties only two months ago. He was replaced by EV Ramana Reddy.
Govt can give extension
If required, the government can give Bhaskar an extension of up to six months. His predecessor Ratna Prabha was given a three-month extension as the state was going to assembly polls around the time she was due to retire.
The Congress-JD(S) government had even recommended a second extension for her, but backtracked following opposition from other IAS officers, who felt such a move would affect promotions of others.
The Centre’s approval is a must for an extension and it can accept or reject the proposal. Recently, the Centre turned down Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot’s proposal to extend the term of the incumbent CS, forcing him to appoint a new person.