New Delhi: In Uttar Pradesh, a 1995-batch IAS officer Sanjay Prasad, is back on top in the state’s administrative setup, regaining charge of the critical home department after a 9-month gap. Currently posted in the Chief Minister’s Office, Prasad now oversees multiple key portfolios, including principal secretary for the Chief Minister’s Office, home, information, confidentiality, visa, passport, and vigilance departments. He was among the 46 IAS officers transferred during a late-night reshuffle Thursday.
Between May 2020 and March 2024, Prasad managed a range of departments. However, it was widely believed that to ease his workload, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath entrusted the home department to Deepak Kumar, a 1990-batch IAS officer. Prasad’s close association with Yogi has become a significant topic of discussion in Uttar Pradesh’s power circles, especially since Yogi has selected him once again for a key role.
In Yogi’s first tenure, retired IAS officer Awanish Awasthi was regarded as the most influential bureaucrat, overseeing critical portfolios such as home, visa and passport, jail administration, vigilance, energy, and religious affairs. In Yogi’s second tenure, Prasad is seen as Awasthi’s de facto successor, frequently appearing alongside the chief minister.
According to a source in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), “Two major factors worked in Sanjay’s favor. First, Deepak Kumar was considered too polite, while the CM prefers someone who can address district officers in a more assertive manner. Second, after the violent incidents in Bahraich and Sambhal, the CM needs to seem like he’s taking action.”
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The source also noted that Prasad had been eager to reclaim the home portfolio. “His close relationship with the CM played a significant role,” the source said, adding, “In the CM’s office, he is widely regarded as a taskmaster.”
Speaking to ThePrint, a senior UP BJP leader said, “The posts of home secretary and information secretary have traditionally been held by officers of the additional chief secretary (ACS) rank, which is senior to the principal secretary (PS) rank. However, the CM appointed a PS-rank officer to these positions, which shows his complete trust in Prasad,” said a source.
“In politics, loyalty and trust matter. Prasad’s rise through the ranks, bypassing the conventional hierarchy, and his appointment to such high-profile responsibilities clearly indicate that he is the CM’s pick,” the source added.
Another point raised by him was that the home department will effectively be managed by the CM’s office.
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‘On good terms with everyone in power circles’
A retired UP government officer who served during Yogi’s first tenure told ThePrint, “Yogi prefers taskmasters who execute his directives. Whether it’s bulldozer action or encounters, what matters is execution, not just presenting different logics and repercussions. Prasad is ideal for this role—he listens and executes. Yogi appointed him principal secretary in home and information even when Awasthi and Sehgal were already in the system. This clearly indicates that the CM had planned to make him a successor later.”
A senior RSS functionary told ThePrint that between September 2015 and March 2019, Prasad served as joint secretary in the Ministry of Defence and was considered close to then defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman. “Yogi must have sought her feedback before appointing him to his office, as such key appointments are not made easily. Prasad’s connection with Adityanath is not new; he was the chief development officer (CDO) in Gorakhpur from 1999 to 2001, and was seen as being in the ‘good books’ of the then Gorakhpur MP.”
One of Prasad’s batchmates, currently posted in another key department in Uttar Pradesh, described him as a “white-collar man.”
“You won’t hear any corruption charges or other controversies related to him,” said the officer, speaking to ThePrint. “He’s on good terms with everyone in power circles. As you may have noticed, some opposition leaders targeted Awasthi and Sehgal, who held similar power, but not Prasad. The reason is that he has connections across all lobbies. He never speaks negatively about anyone.”
Yogi’s crisis manager during pandemic
According to sources in the government, the pandemic significantly bolstered Prasad’s closeness to the CM.
Speaking to ThePrint, a senior official said, “Prasad is regarded as the CM’s go-to ‘data man’. He has an exceptional command over data, and whenever the CM needs specific information, Prasad is the first person he calls. During the Covid-19 phase, all relevant data was at his fingertips.”
The functionary added that Prasad, who was often the first to arrive at the CM’s office, became his go-to person for data on vaccines, Covid centres, and other critical updates. He frequently traveled with the CM to assess the ground reality firsthand. With Awasthi’s workload being heavy, Prasad effectively became the second-in-command. This period marked a turning point, as Prasad earned the CM’s full trust. Even when the opposition criticised the government, the CM relied on Prasad to craft data-driven counters highlighting government initiatives. While Sehgal was seen as the Centre’s man in the information department, Prasad was unequivocally Yogi’s man, the official added.
Prasad, originally from Bihar, has also been described as a fitness freak. A source in his office told ThePrint, “Sir is dedicated to his morning walks.”
“He’s also tech-savvy,” he added. “He prefers PDFs, emails, and online documents over hard copies and file papers. In the office, he is also regarded as a cost-saver.”
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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