Enquiries made by Deccan Herald elicited the answer that they were not keen as there was still uncertainty over the longevity of the Central rule in the state.
The Governor’s office on Wednesday contacted a senior IAS officer of Karnataka cadre working in Delhi on his availability but he is understood to have declined the offer.
Sources said this was because of two reasons: one, officers working in important ministries in Delhi would not like to go back as they will miss the exposure that their current job offers in the Capital and second, the uncertainty factor in the State.
No one knows how long the President’s rule will continue: if any two parties cobble up the numbers and come to power, the Central rule has to end, or in case the Assembly gets dissolved, the Raj Bhavan rule will continue.
It is also learnt that the Governor’s office sounded out former additional chief secretary M B Prakash for one of the advisors’ post. Prakash was one of those overlooked by then Chief Minister S M Krishna when he appointed B S Patil as chief secretary in 2002. Prakash, who resigned in protest, was later appointed as chairman of the Karnataka Pay Commission.
Normally, advisors are often drafted from out of the State cadre. It means that mainly only those who are not from Karnataka cadre of IAS and IPS get appointed as the advisors. However, the Governor may make some exceptions.
Last time when the State was under the Central rule for a fairly long spell — April-November 1989 — the three advisors appointed included one IPS officer. These officers may be retired or serving as per the Governor’s choice (or in some cases, choice of various lobbies working in Delhi). This time round, Governor Rameshwar Thakur may even go for a team of five advisors considering the growth Karnataka has seen in recent years. One of them would be from the IPS.
The informal political affiliations of the officers too would be considered at the time of appointment. If in-service State-cadre officers are appointed, the Governor is sure to keep away those considered close to the regime of former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy.
