Soft-spoken Ashok Jain steals Goel’s thunder

Chief minister Vasundhara Raje has picked Ashok Jain to lead the bureaucracy in Rajasthan. The soft-spoken bureaucrat who stays at an arm’s length from the media hawks was appointed the chief secretary of Rajasthan Friday evening.

His appointment belied the frenzied name calling of two bureaucrats, both ACS—Nihal Chand Goel and Devendra Bhushan Gupta—in the political circles and got one of the senior most officers, instead, to helm the bureaucracy.

Jain was largely instrumental in conducting polls in 2013 and 14 that saw an unprecedented turnout of voters and the return of Vasundhara Raje as chief minister in state.

As per the Department of Personnel officials, Jain will retire in January next year.  Around 6.30 pm Friday evening when Ashok Jain came out of the Chief Minister’s Office, it was clear which way the wind was blowing. His selection was a deja vu moment for bureaucrats when CS Rajan was replaced by OP Mina at the last moment in 2016. Even then Goel was being considered among the front runners.  In current seniority list of IAS officials, Jain stands at the third number. Two other bureaucrats senior to him are home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi posted at the Centre and Ashok Shekhar who is serving as chairman of the revenue board.  An 81-batch officer, Jain is a native of Jodhpur. He has served in the UDH department and has helmed the post of chief election officer.