Navneet Sehgal quits Prasar Bharati abruptly, what’s next for UP’s go-to former IAS who served 3 CMs

Sehgal has been a ‘crisis manager’ across UP regimes and was once a power centre in state. He stepped down as Prasar Bharati chairperson less than two years into role.

Navneet Sehgal, retired 1988-batch IAS officer from Uttar Pradesh cadre | Photo: ANI

Lucknow: Navneet Kumar Sehgal, a retired 1988-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre, resigned as chairperson of Prasar Bharati Tuesday. His sudden exit has surprised many as he had not even completed two years in the role.

Sehgal had taken charge on 16 March, 2024, after retiring as UP’s additional chief secretary (sports and youth welfare) the previous year.

With over 35 years of government experience, he has headed key departments and contributed to major governance and policy initiatives at both the central and state level. He retired from service on 31 July, 2023, after a 35-year career.

In UP’s political corridors, he is regarded as a significant power centre, having maintained influence across successive governments over the past two decades.

Once counted among the most influential IAS officers in the state, Sehgal enjoyed the confidence of three UP chief ministers: Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav and incumbent Yogi Adityanath for significant periods.

Until 31 August, 2022, he held key portfolios as additional chief secretary, including information and public relations, MSME and export promotion, handlooms and textiles, and khadi and village industries.

Notably, he did not receive any post-retirement appointment from CM Adityanath, unlike another close aide, Awanish Awasthi, who was made adviser to the CM soon after retiring in September 2022.

Mayawati confidant, Akhilesh-Yogi crisis manager

Sehgal served as Mayawati’s secretary through her tenure from 2007 to 2012. According to sources in the state bureaucracy, this era established him as a key power centre, with Mayawati counting him among her most trusted officials.

Later, he was moved to the officers-on-waiting list when Akhilesh Yadav assumed the CM’s post in 2012 and was assigned the then-insignificant religious affairs department. Following the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, the Akhilesh government brought him back as principal secretary (information) to manage the crisis. He was also CEO of UP Expressway Industrial Development Authority and oversaw Akhilesh’s dream project, the Lucknow-Agra Expressway.

Although the BJP, currently in power in UP, frequently accused the Akhilesh government of irregularities in the expressway’s construction, Sehgal was again placed on the officers-on-waiting list when Adityanath came to power in 2017.

But the CM leaned on him in the aftermath of the 2020 Hathras rape and murder case, and Sehgal regained prominence until being moved out in 2022. Since then, he has been regarded as a “troubleshooter” for the government, particularly for his sharp media management skills.

A senior BJP leader told ThePrint: “Initially, Yogiji was not keen on assigning him (Sehgal) any key department. But during the Hathras crisis, Sunil Bansal and other BJP functionaries recommended him to the high command, after which Yogiji had to give him an important role.”

A Samajwadi Party leader also described Sehgal as a versatile bureaucrat and an effective manager.

“Akhileshji had initially given him a relatively low-profile department, dharmarth karya (religious affairs), but he managed to create significant visibility for it, which impressed Akhileshji as well. He was then entrusted with other key departments. He clearly knows how to win a CM’s confidence,” he said.

Sehgal is renowned for his extensive political network in Uttar Pradesh. This was evident at his son’s wedding reception in Lucknow in March this year. Among the distinguished attendees were CM Adityanath, Akhilesh Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party general secretary Satish Mishra, and Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhna Mishra, alongside other prominent figures.

Akhilesh’s presence dispelled speculation in UP’s political circles about his alleged discontent with Sehgal following his loss of power in 2017. Adityanath’s attendance, meanwhile, reaffirmed Sehgal’s close rapport with the CM despite Sehgal often being viewed as “the Centre’s man”.

A senior IAS officer who has worked with him described Sehgal as “accessible, well-connected, and highly effective in media management”. He added that “his network extends far beyond bureaucrats and politicians. He can manage anyone”.

Sehgal was also one of the key officials behind the successful branding of the UP government ahead of the 2018 investors’ summit and 2023 global investors’ meet. He facilitated numerous meetings with leading industrialists in the run-up to the events, he added.

Speaking about Sehgal’s connections, the bureaucrat further said: “I noticed that when Mukesh Ambani came for the investors’ summit in Lucknow, the one bureaucrat he mentioned by name was Navneet.”

“Similarly, when (actor) Akshay Kumar visited for a film shoot, he, too, referred to ‘Navneet’. That should give you a sense of the breadth of his connections.”

According to the bureaucrat, there has been considerable speculation about Sehgal entering politics, but it hasn’t happened yet. “Maybe soon,” he said.

(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)