New Delhi: After a surprise reshuffle of 16 IAS officers in Uttar Pradesh late Wednesday, Sanjay Prasad, the principal secretary to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has emerged as the most powerful officer in the state.
The Adityanath government has handed over the crucial home department to Prasad, as well as information and public relations, visa and passport, and vigilance.
Until now, 1987-batch IAS officer and additional chief secretary Awanish K. Awasthi was believed to be the most powerful officer in UP, handling key departments like home, visa and passport, jail administration, vigilance, energy, and religious affairs. He retired Wednesday.
After Awasthi, Prasad, an IAS officer of the 1995 batch, is said to be one of the CM’s most trusted officials. He has been part of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) since 2019, when he returned to his cadre after serving for four years on central deputation.
“After the retirement of Awanish K. Awasthi, an alumnus of IIT Kanpur, Yogiji wanted one of his trusted officers in charge of the home department. Sanjay Prasad fits that profile,” a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader told ThePrint.
“We all know that Yogiji tried for Awasthi’s extension till the last day. But his tenure was not extended by the central government. Apart from Awasthi, Prasad has been the closest to the chief minister,” the leader added.
Prasad is also considered one of the most “efficient and non-controversial” officers by senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionaries of Gorakhpur, close to the CM. He had served a year’s stint in Gorakhpur as chief development officer, between 1999 and 2001, when Adityanath was an MP.
“It was Ram Prakash Guptaji‘s government (1999 to 2000) in UP. Maharajji (Yogi Adityanath) was an MP then. He has always been interested in Gorakhpur’s development. Prasad did wonderful work then and was noticed by Maharajji. Since then, he (Prasad) has served in the governments of all political parties in UP, including the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). But he remained honest and professional,” said a senior RSS functionary from Gorakhpur.
Prasad, who comes from Bihar’s Sitamarhi district, was earlier a junior secretary in the home, health, and education departments, and was also the divisional commissioner of Ayodhya.
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‘Yogi’s selection’
The CMO picked Prasad to handle the high-profile home department, while at least 40 other IAS officers senior to him — including at least 26 of additional chief secretary-rank — (according to the civil list of IAS officers), did not make the cut.
The posts of home secretary and information secretary have traditionally been held by officers of additional chief secretary rank, which is senior to the principal secretary rank.
“The fact that Prasad has risen through the ranks dismantling the traditional hierarchy and that the CM has given him charge of the most sensitive and significant departments establishes the fact that Prasad is his pick,” said a senior IAS officer serving in the state.
Another top UP government official told ThePrint that Prasad’s postings were “unusual”, though “the government may appoint any officer to any position”.
“The home department manages the police directorate (PD). However, there are at least five additional director general (ADG)-rank officers who are senior to Prasad in terms of post and batch,” he said. The five ADGs include Prashant Kumar, ADG, law and order, who is an IPS officer of the 1990 batch.
“The ADGs generally report to the director general of police (DGP) and the home secretary is seen as the bridge between the CM and the PD. In an administrative hierarchy, the home secretary is one of the seniormost officers in a state’s bureaucracy, and is usually senior to the ADG-ranked officers,” he added.
Election manager
During this year’s UP state election campaign, Prasad served as the CM’s protocol officer and worked closely with Adityanath. “BJP and RSS functionaries used to meet Prasad regularly during the campaign,” said a second senior BJP leader who worked in the CM’s election team.
“Yogiji used to send him to almost every important election meeting. He made the campaign distinct and different. The idea was to build a perception for Yogiji. Prasad ensured that his campaign did not drown under the shadow of (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji and (Union home minister Amit) Shahji‘s campaign,” added the BJP leader.
Prior to serving under Adityanath, Prasad served in the governments of Kalyan Singh, Rajnath Singh and Ram Prakash Gupta of the BJP, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav of the SP, and Mayawati of the BSP.
“He remained an efficient officer throughout,” said one of his peers and colleagues in UP.
Over a decade ago, Prasad had made news for allegedly seeking votes for BSP supremo and then chief minister Mayawati, when he was posted as the district magistrate of Allahabad between 2009 and 2011.
During an administrative meeting to review a project of housing for the urban poor, named Kanshiram Yojna, he was caught on camera saying: “What is the point in spending Rs 25 crore if the government does not even get the votes of 1,500 families.”
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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