With the tenure of present chief secretary of Andhra Pradesh K Vijayanand is coming to an end by November end, speculations are rife over who would succeed him in the coveted post.
Speculation is rife that Vijayanand might receive a six-month extension, though it is not immediately known whether chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu had already written to the Centre seeking his extension as the chief secretary.
His predecessor Neerabh Kumar Prasad, who was to retire on June 30, 2024, also got an extension for a period of six months, till December 31, 2024. Later, the post was given to Vijayanand, bypassing other seniors.
In case the Centre doesn’t give an extension to Vijayanand, there is a talk that the government may appoint him as chairman of the AP Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) — a post that has been vacant and is currently being run by an in-charge officer.
Meanwhile, Sai Prasad, the Special Chief Secretary (Water Resources), is also a contender for the CS post and is reportedly lobbying based on a past assurance. However, most bureaucratic circles believe that Vijayanand will be retained, given chief minister Naidu’s preference to keep him at the helm of the power sector.
According to sources, senior TDP leaders have privately admitted that the appointment was made as a recognition for Vijayanand’s earlier contributions and his “institutional experience.” This has, however, led to murmurs of discontent among party workers who recall the party’s earlier stance against him.
In fact, Vijayanand was the blue-eyed boy of even former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. He played a key role in signing controversial power deals under the Jagan Mohan Reddy government, including Adani-SECI power purchase agreement.
Though the TDP leaders had slammed Vijayanand for the deal, he was brought in the key position of chief secretary to head the state administration under the coalition government.
