After loosing Hamirpur parliamentary by elections to BJP candidate and former Chief Minster Mr. Prem Kumar Dhumal with huge margin of over eighty thousands of votes and facing CD thunder of Congress MLA Vijay Singh Mankotia, now first administrative step has been taken by the Chief Minister of Himachal Mr. Vir Bhadra Singh and bureaucracy of the state has been shaken. Government has changed deputy commissioners of ten districts, only deputy Commissioners of Sirmour and Shimla has been spared in this reshuffle. Government has transferred 26 IAS and 28 HAS officers which includes ‘powerful bureaucrat’ Shubhash Ahluwalia, who served CM as his Principal Secretary for the past over four years.
In fact, in this reshuffle CM has tried to put ‘right person’ at right place considering their ‘loyalty’, political analysts see serious mistakes in the selection of the ‘person’ for the particular post. Many insiders in the Congress party see some more change in the bureaucratic set up of the state in near future. They say that many ‘faithful’ officers were ignored in this reshuffle. And some persons against whom frequent complaints were made by the party workers were yet to be removed from their present posts.
Political circles were surprised to see the posting of Mr. Balbir Tegta as new Principal Secretary to CM. Actually it was debated in the political circles for the past one year that Principal Secretary to CM Mr. Subhash Ahluwalia may go any time as main opposition party of the state BJP had targeted him at many occasions. Recently when rebel Congress MLA Mr. Mankotia fired a salvo on the Ahluwalia and leveled several charges against him, his removal from this politically important post had become a political compulsion for the Congress party. Although party sources maintain that it was a ‘routine transfer’ but every body knew that change in the CM’s office and there also the transfer of main bureaucrat is never a routine happening.
Political observers feels that it was a big exercise to give a new face to the administration in the state after the Hamirpur defeat which has shaken the congress party as big shots of Congress including heavy weight Minister Kuldeep Kumar could not maintain lead in their areas. Out of 17 assembly segments BJP registered lead in the 15 constituencies. Political observers feels that such exercises of administrative reshuffling was not going to fetch much political advantage to the Congress party as it is the working of ‘Political Bosses’ of the ruling party which in fact annoy or please the voters, and on this front much is needed to be done. Such efforts includes appointment of MLA’s of new areas on the important posts and in cabinet who were feeling neglected for many reasons.
Working as district correspondent with The Tribune & Danik Tribune in Sirmour.
I love my himachal