As the Narendra Modi-led NDA government prepares to take the oath for its third term, attention is turning to significant bureaucratic appointments. Following the swearing-in ceremony and cabinet portfolio allocations, the focus will shift to filling several key positions that will become vacant over the next few months.
Top posts, including the cabinet secretary, home secretary, and foreign secretary, will be vacant between August and October 2024. Sources indicate that P.K. Mishra, the current principal secretary to the Prime Minister, is unlikely to continue for a third term in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Additionally, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das’s term ends in December.
Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, the nation’s highest-ranking bureaucrat, will see his extended term conclude on August 30. Appointed in 2019, Gauba has received three extensions. Speculation suggests his successor may come from the 1987 IAS batch, with potential candidates including Finance Secretary T.V.S. Somanathan, Steel Secretary N.N. Sinha, and Gujarat Chief Secretary Raj Kumar.
Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla’s tenure, extended multiple times since his retirement in November 2020, ends on August 22. Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra, appointed in April 2022 and extended twice, will also complete his term by October 2024.
P.K. Mishra, a pivotal figure in Modi’s administrative team since 2014, is expected to step down. His potential successor could be Rajiv Gauba. Mishra’s departure would mark a significant change in the PMO’s leadership dynamics.
The term of RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, extended in 2021, concludes in December 2024. Speculation suggests Finance Secretary T.V.S. Somanathan might succeed him. Das has been at the helm since December 2018.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also anticipated to appoint a full-time director under Modi’s third term. Since Sanjay Mishra’s retirement in September 2023, Rahul Navin has served as the acting director. The appointment of a permanent director is expected to solidify the agency’s leadership.
These impending changes signal a significant reshuffle at the highest levels of India’s bureaucracy, setting the stage for Modi 3.0 to implement its agenda with a potentially new team of top officials.
