Ahuja, a 1990 batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre serving as Secretary in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, was on Tuesday repatriated from the Centre on a request by his parent cadre, setting off speculation that he would be the next chief secretary of the state.

If appointed, Ahuja will succeed Pradeep Kumar Jena, who is serving an extended term that ends on June 30.

A technocrat-turned-bureaucrat, Ahuja has held several key positions both in the central government and the state. His colleagues describe him as a hardworking and diligent officer who likes to keep a low profile and enjoys the confidence of the top leadership in the government.

A formal announcement on his appointment is expected after Majhi meets with Prime Minister Narendra Modi  Thursday. The meeting, which Ahuja is expected to join along with the two newly appointed deputy chief ministers of Odisha, has been scheduled to discuss the future development strategy for the state.

A senior bureaucrat, who spoke to The Secretariat on condition of anonymity, said the prime minister was impressed with the way Ahuja handled the agricuture ministry and the presentations he made about communicating the government's achievements in the run-up to the parliamentary elections.

Thursday's meeting is likely to focus on the BJP's promise of Rs 3,100 per quintal of rice as minimum support price to farmers, implemention of Shubhadra Yojana under which every woman will receive a cash voucher of Rs 50,000 and a renwed thrust on infrastructure development.    

Besides being nodal point for PMO's development wishlist, Ahuja’s foremost task would be to bring order into governance in Odisha, which has slipped into a limbo following the surprise and shocking defeat of the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal in recently held elections. 

Ahuja will be expected to handhold the newly sworn-in chief minister, Majhi, who does not have sufficient experience in managing government affairs. More importantly, Majhi may find it challenging to deal with the state’s bureaucracy that has turned somewhat partisan during his predecessor’s uninterrupted rule of 25 years. 

The Odisha bureaucracy is split between those who owe their allegiance to their former colleague VK Pandian, Patnaik’s most powerful aide, and bureaucrats who resented his centralised and autocratic style of functioning that allegedly harmed democratic institutions of governance. 

Unifying the divided bureaucracy and restoring its non-partisan image will be Ahuja’s biggest challenge. And he has only six months before he becomes due to retire – unless the government decides to give him an extension.

“He is the best person to regain confidence among the bureaucrats and bring back a truly democratic approach in governance,” wrote Pradip Biswal, a retired bureaucrat, commenting on Ahuja’s appointment as chief secretary. 

“As a person he is honest, upright, and humble. He doesn’t hold any grievance against anybody and always remains engaged in his own assignment,” Biswal wrote. “He takes things in a very sportive way and looks forward in a positive way. His polite personality endears him among his colleagues and subordinates.”

That said, Ahuja's appointment may give opposition parties a handle to attack BJP for going back on its promise of protecting Odia Asmita (Pride). The BJP won the elections on the back of a bitter campaign that accused Naveen Patnaik for letting Pandian, a non-odia, take control of the state's affairs. 

Ahuja would be the first non-odia to be appointed as the state's chief secretary after a gap of nearly 39 years. The last non-odia chief secretary of Odisha was Gian Chand who held the position from April 1983 to December 1985.  

However, Ahuja is not new to taking up challenges. He was brought into the agriculture ministry in the wake of the farmer’s agitation. His joining coincided with the government withdrawing the controversial farm bill in the face of a massive political backlash.

Prior to moving to agriculture, he served as the chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) from May 2020 to January 2022, during which his toughest challenge was to complete the annual board examination process for Class 10 and Class 12 that had been delayed due to the outbreak Covid-19 pandemic. 

Not only had the exams to be held under extremely difficult conditions, but the results had also to be declared in record time to enable the university admission process to begin on schedule.

An engineering graduate from Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, and an MBA from Panjab University, Ahuja also holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from Harvard University, USA.

Before becoming the chairman of CBSE, Ahuja held the position of Special Director at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy of Administration in Mussoorie. He also served as a joint secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training for a brief period.

During his stint in the parent cadre, Ahuja served as the Secretary of Steel and Mines and Secretary of Food, Supplies & Consumer Welfare in the Government of Odisha. 

He also served as Commissioner of Commercial Taxes, at a critical time when the state had to make a transition from a value added tax (VAT) regime to the nationally introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) system. 

Ahuja is also a sports enthusiast, who loves to cycle and participate in adventure sports. He is married to Arti Ahuja, who also is an IAS officer of the 1990 batch and retired earlier this year from the post of Secretary, Labour and Employment.