With the extension granted to the incumbent Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha (IAS:1978: UP) for a period of one year beyond 12 June 2018, one thing seems likely is that Sinha may probably be still with NaMo if the latter wins the 2019 General Elections. This is one aspect of Sinha's extension which is being viewed through different lenses. Why is Sinha so important for NaMo? Officials point out that for the last 14-16 months, the PM had leaned on the Cabinet Secretary to coordinate, monitor, and implement many of his populist flagship programs targeted at winning the hearts and minds of voters. And Sinha, on his part, has measured up to NaMo's expectations on all counts. Further, it has been observed that the PM has been rather conservative in shaking up the top level of his bureaucracy in the PMO and the Cabinet Secretariat even as he effected changes at the secretary and joint secretary levels in various ministries very frequently. Clearly, Modi prefers stability in the ranks of officers he deals on a daily basis. Another interesting takeaway from Sinha's extension is that it has knocked down the widespread perception of Hasmukh Adhia (IAS:1979: GJ) as NaMo's crucial hand in matters of bureaucracy. He is scheduled to retire in November this year and has apparently missed the chance to become the Cabinet Secretary. Probably, the PM turned cautious on Adhia as the latter's name was dragged in some controversies - which the PM rather chose to avoid in the pre-election period. However, it must be noted that PM Modi never forgets to award his trustworthy lieutenants, even though in certain situations he may delay rewards. So, all said and done, nothing is lost for Adhia; indeed it is a matter of time for him to go places again. Further, Indianmandarins has learnt that the government may opt for a fixed two-year tenure for the post of Finance Secretary which is being held by Adhia since the first week of November 2017. If that happens, Adhia may hold his turf till November 2019 - one year more than his superannuation in November this year. In case it does not happen, then Adhia would be taken into PMO as APS. It is often said that sooner or later Nripendra Mishra may be given an honorable exit by way of a Governorship assignment. There is also a possibility that Dr. P K Mishra may be made the PS to PM and Adhia as PM's Additional PS. But this seems unlikely as Nripendra Mishra's contributions to project implementation and program followups are widely appreciated across all sections of bureaucracy. So Mishra may continue till the scenario changes. Further, it is speculated that in case Modi returns to power in 2019, Adhia would either be inducted into the PMO or might be made MoS for Finance Ministry and the PM has made his intent very much clear by drafting many top bureaucrats, namely R K Singh, Hardeep Puri, Dr Satyapal Singh and K J Alphons, into his cabinet last year. All these speculations may continue till Adhia's fate is decided. (By Rakesh Ranjan, Editor-in-chief, Indianmandarins.com)