Exclusive: Govind Mohan's Possible Elevation Sets Off Home Secretary Succession Battle

With the possibility of incumbent Home Secretary Govind Mohan being elevated to the coveted post of Cabinet Secretary, speculation over his successor has picked up serious momentum. Sources say the matter is likely to be settled within the next few weeks.

The Frontrunners

According to top sources, two names are currently leading the pack to take over as Union Home Secretary should Mohan move up: First is Ashish Bhutani, IAS (1992 batch), currently Secretary, Department of Cooperation. Second Pankaj Agarwal, IAS (1992 batch), currently Union Power Secretary

The Seniority Roadblock

But there's a catch. Sources point out that elevating Mohan may, in fact, be the only viable option on the table simply because there's no other suitable candidate positioned to step into the Cabinet Secretary's chair. Seniority constraints are proving to be a real complication. Given this bottleneck, there's a strong possibility the government opts for a cleaner fix altogether: granting both the Cabinet Secretary and the Union Home Secretary a one-year extension

What Could Force an Extension

Sources add that an extension becomes even more likely if the government fails to secure incumbent Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan's willingness to continue, or if no suitable post-retirement rehabilitation plan for him materializes in time.

The Long Game

Interestingly, if the extension route is taken, it wouldn't kill the succession race With seniority-related noise cleared out of the picture, the contest would narrow down cleanly to just two names: Ashish Bhutani and Pankaj Agarwal where both of them have good window to compete for  appointment of next Home Secretary.