Rajasthan sees major bureaucratic reshuffle but former CM Ashok Gehlot's trusted duo retained

After Ashok Gehlot’s jibe at BJP government over no bureaucratic transfers in the past nine months, the Bhajanlal Sharma-led government effected a major reshuffle, transferring 108 officials across various departments late Thursday night.

But what is interesting is that two of Gehlot’s most trusted officials namely Akhil Arora, additional chief secretary (ACS) (finance) and Anand Kumar (Home) have been retained.

At least 13 districts collectors have been transferred besides a reshuffle amongst the divisional commissioners and 10 officers, who were on APO, have been given postings now. At least 10 new IAS officers have been inducted as Officers on Special Duty in the Industry department.

Arora, a trusted lieutenant of Gehlot, had been instrumental in preparing the Budget and has been working in the finance department for long. He also led the team in preparing the Budget 2024-25 for Bhajanlal this time. He has been handling the Finance Department from Oct 31, 2020. He was promoted to the ACS post in 2022.  Arora, who keeps a low-profile, is supposed to have gained the confidence of two CMs both Gehlot and Vasundhara Raje and is now considered an authority on handling the financial matters of the state.

Arora’s name, however, got linked in a huge cash and gold haul from an almirah in the basement of a state government office in Yojana Bhavan in May 2023. At least one kg of gold and Rs 2.3 crore in cash was seized and was linked to a Rs 3500 crore scam. BJP had demanded a CBI and ED probe and had alleged that Gehlot and Arora were linked in the Yojana Bhavan haul. 

Anand Kumar, another close aide of Gehlot, has been in the Home department since Oct 28, 2022. He got promoted to the ACS post during the Gehlot regime. 

Another of Gehlot’s trusted officers, Aarti Dogra, who was deputed as joint secretary and Special secretary in the CMO, has been made the chief of the Discom company, which oversees three distribution companies. 

At least four important departments would now be headed by women IAS officers. Gayatri Rathore, who was in the tourism department, would now head the medical, health and family welfare department. Shubra Singh has been appointed as chairperson of Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation, Shreya Guha as the ACS of the Rural Development Department and Shrimati Anandi as Commissioner, Jaipur Development Authority.

This is the first major reshuffle after the Bhajanlal-led government took over nine months back. With no transfers on the anvil as is the norm after a regime change, BJP MLAs, ministers, leaders had started demanding the transfers of officials and reinstatement of those who are considered closer to the present regime. There have been talks of no work being done or no files moving as officers were awaiting their transfers and were hesitant in taking any major policy decisions. 

Recently BJP MLA from Lalsot Ram Bilas Meena, MLA had blasted Urban Development minister Jhabar Singh Kharra and had an argument with him over filling up vacant positions of Junior Engineer and Assistant Engineer in his constituency. An enraged Meena later told the media that he has been making the rounds of the minister’s office a number of times just to get engineers fill up the vacant posts but the minister doesn’t seem to be interested. He had said, “It doesn’t feel that there has been a regime change.” 

Kharra, in turn, had retorted that he could not do anything as currently there was a ban on transfers in the state and his hands were tied.

Moreover, taking a dig at no bureaucratic reshuffle, Gehlot had recently tweeted on his X handle   that  “no shuffling of the IAS officers for the last eight months is an indication that appointments made during Congress tenure were perfect and that all allegations against the officers made by the BJP were not only baseless but malicious.” Gehlot’s comments had drawn sharp reaction from senior BJP leader Rajendra Rathore, who said that BJP evaluates bureaucrats on their performance and not on political affiliations.

CM Bhajanlal had recently visited Delhi and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sources say he may have got the approval for the transfer list of the bureaucrats then.