Following days of speculation, Maharashtra Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta will retire on June 30 and additional chief secretary (housing) Sanjay Kumar will take over the reins of the State, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said late on Wednesday.

Mr. Mehta, however, will assume a new role of principal advisor to the Chief Minister from July 1, the CMO said. “The CMO requires an experienced official who has vast experience of restarting the State’s financial and administrative cycle in the backdrop of COVID-19. Therefore, the Chief Minister has decided to appoint him as the principal advisor to the CMO after retirement,” said the statement.

A 1984 batch IAS officer, Mr. Mehta was originally supposed to retire in September 2019. He was granted an extension of six months due to the Assembly polls, and then another three months due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Increasing influence

Mr. Mehta turned into the closest aide of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who lacked administrative experience, earning his trust.

However, recent incidents of the administration overstepping on the rights of ministers and Mr. Mehta’s alleged excessive involvement in different departments, had created discontent against him.

Senior Cabinet ministers from the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress informed the CM about the uneasiness within political and bureaucratic circles over Mr. Mehta’s growing influence.

Mr. Kumar, a 1984 batch IAS officer, will take over as the new Chief Secretary from July 1. The officer, who also has the additional responsibility of the Home Department, is set to retire in February 2021.

According to sources, two other senior officers had also been in the running for the State’s top bureaucratic post. These were Additional Chief Secretary (General Administration Department) Sitaram Kunte and Additional Chief Secretary (Urban Development Department) Praveen Pardeshi.