Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy in all probability will resign on Tuesday. If media reports are to believed, and he does resign, then another career hangs in limbo, that of state chief secretary P.K.Mohanty.

The case of P.K.Mohanty is an interesting one. His retirment in due by the end of February. However, given the political turmoil, Andhra Pradesh is going through and in the view of impending elections, the services of a top bureaucrat like that of chief secretary becomes indispensable.

Thus, an extension of at least two or three months can be expected. If the CM resigns, the governor, with the permission of the centre, has to grant extension to him.

On the other hand, Mohanty is also interested to work in the state on extension. Reports indicate that the Chief Secretary went to Raj Bhavan a couple of days ago to meet the governor. He tried to impress upon the Secretary to Governor,N.Ramesh Kumar too, to get his support for his extension.

The matter has become important as Chief Secretary along with the governor will rule the state in case Congress plans on imposing President’s rule in the state, instead of opting for Kiran's replacement.

If Mohanty fails to get an extension, two IAS officers, I.V.Subba Rao and I.Y.R.Krishna Rao, are the eligible ones to occupy the post. Both of them belong to 1979 batch.

The former is presently working with UNESCO at Paris in France and the other one is Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA) in Hyderabad.

Infact, an officer, who is in the post of CCLA, is generally considered as ‘The Chief Secretary in waiting’. But, the impeccable career record of Subba Rao may halt the elevation of Krishna Rao.

According to other reports, Subba Rao is happy with his current assignment in Paris and is not interested in coming back to Hyderabad. In that case, Krishna Rao, who was disappointed last time, might just get lucky.

Due to the ongoing Telangana agitations, the CM tried to appoint non-Telugu IAS officers to key posts. However, now both key contenders are from Andhra Pradesh.

However, If Kiran decides to continue as the CM, which is highly unlikely in the present circumstances, he will decide the future of Mohanty.

- Bitra Eswara Kumar