New Delhi (23.06.2026): The competitive race for Telangana’s top bureaucratic post has drawn to a decisive close. With the premature repatriation of Union Secretary for the Department of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Sanjay Jaju (IAS: 1992: TG), the state government has signalled that he is set to take over as the next Chief Secretary of Telangana.
Jaju’s sudden return to his parent cadre opens up another high-profile Secretary-level vacancy at the Centre, widening avenues for the upcoming Secretary-level reshuffle at Centre.
The transition comes as the extended tenure of the incumbent Chief Secretary, K. Ramakrishna Rao (IAS: 1991: TG), concludes on 30.06.2026. Rao officially retired from service on August 31, 2025, but was granted a nine-month post-superannuation extension by the Congress-led state government, which expires on June 30, 2026.
While the choice of Jaju brings a tested administrative hand back to Hyderabad, the Revanth Reddy administration’s decision has reignited a fierce debate over seniority conventions within the state’s bureaucracy.
Politically, the move strips the Congress of its leverage to criticize the BJP-led Centre on bypassing seniority for coveted postings. In extending Rao’s tenure last year and now apparently choosing Jaju, the state government effectively sidelined one of the cadre's most credible and senior-most officers, Shashank Goel (IAS: 1990: TG). Telangana could have picked Goel August last year as well when he was left with eleven months of service, yet it extended the service of Ramakrishna Rao.
Though names like Jayesh Ranjan (IAS: 1992: TG), Vikas Raj (IAS: 1992: TG) and Sabyasachi Ghosh (IAS: 1994: TG) were heavily debated in the corridors of power, the government ultimately overlooked the seniority matrix in favour of the high-profile Central returnee—a decision that has caused considerable heartburn among the state's senior bureaucratic ranks.
(By Rakesh Ranjan)
