Bhubaneswar: Senior IAS officer and Additional Chief Secretary to Odisha Chief Minister, Nikunja Bihari Dhal, is set to proceed on central deputation.
The 1993-batch IAS officer has been posted as secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and will assume charge after the superannuation of Umang Narula on June 30.
The departure of Dhal, one of the most influential officers in the state administration, has sparked intense discussions in the power corridors. The reason: No Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister has ever been transferred within such a short period. He was appointed to the post on June 30, 2024.
Earlier, Chief Minister’s Private Secretary, Arindam Dakua, was also transferred within six months of the formation of the maiden BJP government in Odisha.
Here are some plausible reasons on why Dhal opted for central deputation:
1. Shift in CMO Dynamics: The BJP government was sworn in with Mohan Majhi as the CM on June 12, 2024, and Dhal, then serving as chief electoral officer, was picked to head the CMO on June 30 the same year. Meanwhile, the power dynamics in the CMO changed with Manoj Sahoo, a 2006 batch IAS officer, joining as Private Secretary to the CM and appointment of Prakash Mishra, a retired 1977-batch IPS officer, as the Advisor to CM in January this year. Certain OAS officers have also become important in the CMO.
2. Inflexible Dhal? The senior IAS officer seems to have failed to impress both the government and the BJP leadership with his performance at the top post. He was reportedly not flexible enough to accommodate all requests. There was growing discontent within the government and the party as he failed to demonstrate the expected efficiency at different levels of administration. Dhal was reportedly unable to maintain coordination on several occasions.
3. CM’s Team: Majhi wanted to build his own team to keep other factional leaders in the BJP at bay. Despite the BJP government completing 10 months in office, neither have six vacant ministerial positions been filled, nor have appointments been made to the state corporations. Similarly, the party is yet to select its state president. Factionalism within the BJP is being attributed to these delays. It is believed that the Chief Minister wanted to pick his preferred officers to tide over the party’s internal conflicts and improve governance.
4. Eyes On Rural & Urban Elections: The PMO & BJP top brass wanted a rejig to streamline CMO operations ahead of Panchayat & Municipal elections in the state. Dhal’s transfer order came on the day when Principal Secretary-1 and Principal Secretary -2 to the PM, P K Mishra and Shaktikanta Dhal, were in Odisha. Their visit is considered significant for both the BJP government and the party organisation. It is speculated that these top PMO officers could provide solutions to enhance the administrative efficiency of the Odisha government. With upcoming panchayat and municipal elections, decisions could be made to make the CMO more proactive.
Since forming the maiden government in Odisha, the focus of the BJP’s central leadership has remained on the state. In the past nine months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited Odisha five times. Additionally, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President JP Nadda have also made frequent trips to the state. Following the visit of the two senior PMO officers, major administrative decisions to streamline the CMO could be in the offing.
