The BJP has surprised appointing first-time chief ministers in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. While Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav are not the first time MLA and have prior experience of running ministries, Rajasthan chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma has the distinction of being the time MLA and first time CM.
All the three CMs, however, have followed the same pattern of governance to start with. They have appointed ad hoc secretaries to run their office.
Chhatisgarh CM appointment P Dayanand, 2006 batch IAS officer as his secretary on temporary basis till further orders.
Similarly, Madhya Pradesh CM appointed Raghwendra Kumar Singh, a 1997 batch IAS officer as his principal secretary on temporary basis till further orders.
Rajasthan chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma appointed T Ravikanth, a 1998 batch IAS officer as his principal secretary while Anandhi, 2007 batch IAS officer as secretary in CMO. Their orders say that they have been appointment on temporary basis till further orders. Sharma has also appointed Saumya Jha, a 2017 batch IAS as joint secretary in CMO. Her posting order also cites similar condition.
Former IAS and veteran bureaucrat of Rajasthan cadre R C Jain says that these ad hoc appointments have never been in past.
“For the first time I have come across temporary arrangement in an important department like CMO, which is the engine of governance. These officers may continue to work in their present capacity or may get changed. But such arrangements don't give comfort to officers,” he said.
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