UP’s New Chief Secretary S P Goyal: A Man Of All Seasons

Incidentally, the UP government had sent a proposal to the Centre to approve a year-long extension to the service tenure of Singh, who retired on July 31, but the Union government did not agree, and the state had to look for his replacement.

Since Goyal’s return from central deputation to the state on May 19, 2017, he was appointed Principal Secretary to CM Adityanath and was initially considered to be the Centre’s 'man in the state'.

However, as time passed, Goyal appeared to have earned the CM’s trust and eventually turned out to be one of the most influential officers in the Chief Minister’s Office in Lucknow. Among the state bureaucracy, people started calling him with a nickname: “SPG".

Many in the Lucknow system say that the CM’s choice tilted in his favour because of his experience and his ability to function as a link between the Centre and the state government.

One of the longest serving IAS officers in Yogi Adityanath’s CMO, Goyal also happened to be the senior-most civil servant in the state at present. He has held several key positions over the years.

Now, as Chief Secretary, Goyal will oversee several critical roles: Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner, Additional Chief Secretary (Coordination), Chairperson of PICUP, CEO of UPEIDA and UPSHA, and Project Director of UP DASP, sources in the CMO said.

Long Service Record

Goyal’s 36-year journey as a bureaucrat has spanned key roles. He had a stint as Joint Secretary in the Department of Higher Education under the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development from October 2014 to May 2017. Upon returning to the state, he was posted directly as Principal Secretary to the CM. Goyal is due to retire in January 2027.

He was also in the reckoning in 2024 when Singh was appointed Chief Secretary after the retirement of Durga Shankar Mishra, but at the time, the CM had preferred Singh.

Many old-timers in the UP bureaucracy claim Goyal was also a powerful bureaucrat during the BSP government led by Mayawati between 2007 and 2012. He had also served as Secretary in the Planning Department and as Principal Secretary in the Programme Implementation Department during the Samajwadi Party government led by Akhilesh Yadav between 2012 and 2017.

Goyal, who is a local lad from Lucknow, holds a B.Sc. (Hons) and an MCA degree. He began his administrative career as an Assistant Magistrate in Etawah. Over the years, he served as Chief Development Officer (CDO) in districts like Meerut, Aligarh, and Bahraich. He also held the post of District Magistrate (DM) in Mathura, Etawah, Prayagraj, and Deoria.

Goyal is considered a darling among his batchmates, having earned the goodwill of many of them through strategic postings during his stint in the CMO.