Kelkar, Narayan, Pant may be on their way out

With a Congress-led alliance set to form the government at the Centre, several high-profile political appointees in the Prime Minister's Office and the finance ministry will have to bow out.

Among those who may be on their way out include principal secretary and national security adviser Brajesh Mishra, economic adviser in the PMO S Narayan and Vijay Kelkar, adviser to the finance minister.

While Narayan was accommodated in the PMO as an economic advisor after he retired as the finance secretary, Kelkar was brought in as adviser to Finance Minister Jaswant Singh after his three-year stint at the International Monetary Fund as executive director.

While the two are unlikely to find a place in the new dispensation, there are already talks that Montek Singh Ahluwalia, director, IMF Evaluation Office, may land himself a plum post under the Congress-led government.

According to sources, members in the Planning Commission along with Deputy Chairman KC Pant, who too are political appointees, will tender their resignations to the new Prime Minister. While Narayan too will hand over his resignation to the new Prime Minister, Kelkar will wait for the new finance minister to take charge in North Block.

Senior level bureaucratic reshuffle too may be on the cards in key ministries like finance and industry and commerce.

In the North Block, Finance Secretary DC Gupta, who also heads the economic affairs department, is due to retire in October. The new finance minister may prefer to have a new secretary.

Revenue Secretary Vineeta Rai has already received the order to head the Interim Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority. It is likely that a new secretary will take over the department before the regular Budget for the current fiscal is presented.