Search for Maharashtra’s next chief secretary

The top five candidates in contention are revenue secretary Rajesh Kumar, secretary, ministry of social justice Rajesh Aggarwal, home secretary Iqbal Singh Chahal, Mumbai civic chief Bhushan Gagrani and secretary, ministry of youth affairs and sports, Meeta R Lochan

Mumbai: Sujata Saunik, the state’s first woman chief secretary, is retiring today. A feisty officer, Saunik handled the administration with ease while tackling some tricky issues in the government. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will now pick the next chief secretary who will head the state government’s administrative wing. The top five in contention, based on seniority, are revenue secretary Rajesh Kumar, secretary, ministry of social justice Rajesh Aggarwal, home secretary Iqbal Singh Chahal, Mumbai civic chief Bhushan Gagrani and secretary, ministry of youth affairs and sports, Meeta R Lochan. Of them, Aggarwal and Lochan are on central government deputation and unlikely to return to the state. This leaves Rajesh Kumar, Chahal and Gagrani. While Rajesh Kumar is the seniormost, who is set to retire in August, Chahal and Gagrani seem to be the top two choices. According to the CM’s aides, Fadnavis prefers Gagrani while deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde is keen on the selection of Chahal, who was in charge of his chief minister’s office (CMO) during his tenure as the CM. Though Fadnavis as chief minister can pick the officer of his choice, he may prefer to come to a consensus with his two deputies, Shinde and Ajit Pawar. Will Fadnavis go by seniority or a consensus candidate or an officer of his choice? Time will tell.

Sujata Saunik, the state’s first woman chief secretary, is retiring today (June 30) after handling the administration with ease while tackling some tricky issues in the government. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT PHOTO)

Air of anticipation

Now that the government has scrapped the decision making Hindi a mandatory third language, will Uddhav and Raj Thackeray come together? The proposed July 5 joint rally was cancelled and is being turned into a victory rally.

Leaders from both Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS who are in favour of reunion of the two cousins think the “fight for Marathi” is a perfect platform for the Thackerays to come together. In anticipation of the reunion, the ground level cadre and even second rung leaders of both the parties had started mingling together at several places. Senior Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab and senior MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar appeared together at a programme organised by Marathi TV channel ABP Majha on Saturday. When they were asked how it felt to sit together after years, Parab replied: “Who says we were not meeting?”

He then explained to the surprised audience: “We still have a case against us which was lodged when we staged protests after Narayan Rane quit the party (in 1995). We have to attend court hearings together. These are old relations and they never broke.”

Royal arrangement

The national level conference of estimates committees of state legislatures held in Mumbai last week was in the news for controversies. It began in the backdrop of the Dhule episode when police seized ₹1.8 crore cash at a state government guest house from an official attached to the estimates committee of the state legislature. The estimates committee monitors the work being done with the exchequer’s money.

Shiv Sena (UBT) demanded a probe into whether the money was a bribe paid by contractors and meant for members of the estimates committee. The committee chairman Arjun Khotkar denied any connection with the cash. Towards the end of the two-day conference, images of guests being served meals in silverware went viral.

The silverware was said to be rented for ₹550 a piece, according to reports. Several legislators felt if the extravaganza was needed, especially when Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in his speech insisted on spending each rupee of the exchequer carefully.

Crorepati driver of a Sena MP

Eyebrows are being raised over three acres of prime land in Sambhajinagar city gifted to Javed Rasul Shaikh, a driver of Shiv Sena’s Sambhajinagar MP Sandipan Bhumre. Mujahid Khan, a lawyer who claims to have contested a case for Mir Mohammad Ali Khan, an heir of Salarjung who served as the Nizam’s prime minister, has said that he was promised three acres of land by Mir Mohammad in exchange for fighting the latter’s case for a disputed property. When he went to claim the land, he was told it was gifted to Javed Shaikh who is also Bhumre’s driver. The lawyer has now lodged a complaint with the police and Economic Offences Wing is probing it. Meanwhile, Bhumre has distanced himself from the episode, saying what his driver does in his personal life is not his concern. Many are now wondering why a person who owns land worth crores chooses to work as a driver.

NCP’s Nitesh Rane

Ajit Pawar led NCP’s Ahilyanagar MLA Sangram Jagtap is in the news for his communal remarks. He seems to have taken a leaf out of BJP minister Nitesh Rane’s book. His remarks came at a time when his boss Ajit Pawar was trying to reaffirm his secular credentials by intervening in the issues faced by Muslim community ahead of Bakr Id. An irked Pawar told mediapersons that what Jagtap said was not in line with the party’s ideology. Pawar summoned Jagtap on Tuesday but the latter did not rush to Mumbai immediately citing he was busy with wari (annual procession) of Warkari sect. There are speculations that Jagtap is building bridges with BJP. But does Fadnavis want a Nitesh Rane clone?