Major IAS Shake-Up In Maharashtra; Bhide Takes Over BMC
Senior IAS officer Lokesh Chandra will replace Ms. Bhide as Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) in the CMO: Reports
MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government on Wednesday effected a major bureaucratic reshuffle involving 10 IAS officers, signalling a strategic administrative realignment across key departments, including Finance, Agriculture, Relief & Rehabilitation (R&R) and the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO). The most significant move is the appointment of Ashwini Bhide as Commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), making her the first woman IAS officer to head Asia’s richest civic body. Ms. Bhide, 55, is widely credited for pushing forward the Mumbai Metro Line 3 project.
Senior IAS officer Lokesh Chandra will replace Ms. Bhide as Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) in the CMO. In other changes, Vikas Chandra Rastogi, ACS (Agriculture), has been moved to the Finance Department as ACS (Financial Reforms), while Parimal Singh has been appointed Secretary, Agriculture.
According to sources, top contenders for the BMC Commissioner’s post included Aseem Gupta (ACS, Urban Development), Milind Mhaiskar (ACS, Public Works) and Sanjay Mukherjee (Commissioner, MMRDA). Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who heads the Urban Development Department, earlier this week to finalise the appointment, with incumbent BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani retiring on March 31.
Sources said Mr. Fadnavis backed Mrs. Bhide for the post, while Mr. Shinde supported Mr. Gupta. One of the contenders reportedly travelled to New Delhi to meet senior BJP leaders, and two were said to be upset over not being selected.
Ms. Bhide assumed charge on Tuesday evening. A 1995-batch officer, she has held several key positions in the state administration, including ACS to the Chief Minister, and served as Managing Director of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation, where she played a pivotal role in the Metro Line 3 and coastal road projects.
As per the General Administration Department’s transfer list, Mr. Chandra, currently Chairman and Managing Director of MSEDCL, will hold additional charge of the power utility until further orders.
Mr. Rastogi will eventually head the Finance Department after the retirement of ACS O.P. Gupta in August 2026, a senior official said.
Vinita Vaid Singal, Principal Secretary, Disaster Management and R&R, has been transferred as Principal Secretary, Soil and Water Conservation — her fourth transfer in 15 months. Tukaram Mundhe, a 2005-batch IAS officer who has been transferred 21 times in 21 years of service, will replace her as Secretary, Disaster Management and R&R.
Other key appointments include Lahu Mali as Managing Director, Shivshahi Punarvasan Project Ltd; Manik Gursal as Secretary, Divyang Kalyan Department; Prerna Deshbhratar as Commissioner of Fisheries; and Prithviraj B.P. as Commissioner of the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation.
