Is CM Akhilesh not keen to appoint Deepak Singhal as UP CS ?

Lucknow: With barely ten days to go for Alok Ranjan to make way for his successor as Uttar Pradesh chief secretary, the government is giving it a second thought to appoint Deepak Singhal as the new incumbent owing to his 'not so good' image.

The Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, being conscious of the image of his government, is not so keen to see 1982-batch Singhal as the CS ahead of state assembly polls, the inside sources reveal it to newztrack.com. Though, the senior members of party are of the opinion that Singhal will prove too 'useful' in view of the elections but CM thinks otherwise.

Pravir Kumar, who generally holds a clean image, is actively been under consideration as a section of political leadership thinks his accession will send a good message in the poll-bound state. Pravir, also a 1982-batch officer, is Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC) and it has been no secret that Akhilesh was instrumental in posting him as APC despite all efforts of Deepak Singhal.

The term of Alok Ranjan has been marked as a momentous period for Akhilesh government where many of CM's dream projects took shape creating a conducive atmosphere for the progress and growth. Naturally, Akhilesh wants the same momentum to continue when his successor is posted.

Deepak Singhal, who was also figured in infamous tapes of Amar Singh,is by and large inaccessible for public, officers and media, contrary to the image of Alok Ranjan whose popularity will be hard to match for him. In such scenario, his elevation looks like a distant possibility.

Overall, the 1983-batch officers Sadakant and Rahul Bhatnagar are also supposed to be in the run for the top bureaucratic post. It may take about a week for the government to come out with the new name of the chief secretary of the largest state of the country.