A significant section of bureaucratic insiders believes that Agrawal—who secured a nine-month contract in September 2024 followed by a one-year extension in June 2025—is well-positioned for a third consecutive extension on a re-employment basis. Proponents of this view expect another twelve-month extension, anchoring the tax administration through to June 2027—a critical fiscal window that precedes key legislative assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and four other states.

Conversely, an alternative camp suggests Agrawal will hang up his boots today. This move would immediately elevate the board's senior-most Member, Pankaj Kumar Mishra (IRS IT: 1989), who currently has four months of active service remaining. 

For institutional watchers, the decision rests on the ACC preference between long-term political continuity and standard cadre seniority. 

As the clock ticks down on crucial leadership timelines within the CBDT, the Department of Revenue is fully prepared to bid a formal farewell to Member (Audit & Judicial) Mona Singh (IRS IT: 1990) on her retirement today, no such ceremony has been scheduled for CBDT Chairman Ravi Agrawal. This procedural disparity has not gone unnoticed among tax officials, strengthening the grapevine that Agrawal's second extended term may seamlessly bleed into a third, contractual extension before the day concludes.