If the reports appearing in various sections of media are true, senior IAS officer and former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams executive officer K S Jawahar Reddy is likely to be the next chief secretary of Andhra Pradesh.
Present chief secretary Sameer Sharma, who has been on a long extension, will be retiring on December 31 and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has to suggest a suitable name to the Centre for chief secretary post.
At present, Jawahar Reddy is the special chief secretary in the chief minister’s office (CMO). He is said to be very close to Jagan and hence, he might be preferred as the next chief secretary, sources said.
However, there are other senior IAS officers like Neerabh Kumar Prasad, P Giridhar, Poonam Malakondaiah and Karikala Valavan, who are senior to Jawahar Reddy.
Even Y Srilakshmi, who is in the CMO looking after municipal administration and urban development affairs, is two years senior to him.
But going by the efficiency and loyalty, the chief minister has use his discretion in selecting the chief secretary. In that context, Jawahar Reddy is likely to get the post, sources said.
In fact, there was a talk till recently that Jagan might prefer Srilakshmi, who is also a loyal IAS officer. She got clearance from the Telangana high court recently in the Obulapuram mining case and hence, there are no legal hurdles for her.
Yet, Jagan might not give her the coveted post, fearing that it might send wrong signals to the people.
“In any case, she has service till 2026, while Jawahar Reddy would retire by 2024. So, in the last two years, she can get the chance, if Jagan returns to power again,” sources added.
