EC replaces Iqbal Singh Chahal with Bhushan Gagrani in BMC, picks new Thane & Navi Mumbai civic heads

MUMBAI: Additional chief secretary to CM Bhushan Gagrani replaced Iqbal Singh Chahal as the city municipal chief Wednesday after the Election Commission of India picked him for the BMC top post among the three names sent by the state.
New posting has not been announced for Chahal. Cooperation commissioner Saurabh Rao was picked to head the Thane civic body (TMC) and Cidco joint managing director Kailas Shinde appointed as Navi Mumbai municipal commissioner.
After assuming charge, Gagrani, a 1990-batch IAS officer, recalled a past meeting where Chahal had expressed a vision of passing the baton to him in future. “I feel those words have come true,” said Gagrani, adding that he will to build upon his precedessor’s works during and postCovid pandemic.
MUMBAI: Gagrani has never worked in any municipal corporation earlier. The top-rung state officers were transferred after the election commission, on Monday, conveyed its displeasure over the state govt’s failure to shift out Chahal even though he had completed three years in office.
New BMC chief had headed UDD, health & medical education
A top bureaucrat said it was unfortunate that the Election Commission of India (ECI) had to step in for appointment of the new BMC commissioner following the failure of state govt to adhere to the poll body’s prescribed guidelines in the wake of Lok Sabha elections. “Appointment and posting of bureaucrats are the prerogative of the chief minister.
However, when the state administration did not act, ECI stepped in and issued instructions, following which Bhushan Gagrani was appointed as BMC commissioner on Wednesday,” said the bureaucrat. An IAS officer of the 1990 batch, Gagrani was secretary of several key departments, including urban development, public health, and medical education.
He was managing director of Cidco as well as Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation, and chief executive officer of Maharashtra Industries Development Corporation. For a prolonged period, he was secretary to successive chief ministers. On Dec 21, 2023, ECI had directed all chief secretaries that no officer connected directly with the elections shall be allowed to continue in the present district of posting, if heshe is posted in her/his home district, if the officer has completed three years in that district during last four years or would be completing three years on or before June 30, 2024.
Further, ECI made it clear that these instructions shall also cover municipal commissioners, additional municipal commissioners, and deputy commissioners. The poll body found that the Maharashtra govt did not comply with the order and instead, sought a clarification if these instructions are also applicable to divisional commissioners, municipal commissioners, and additional commissioners.
On Monday, ECI conveyed its displeasure over govt’s failure to shift BMC chief I S Chahal even though he had completed three years in office. Along with Chahal, additional municipal commissioners Ashwini Bhide and P Velrasu, Thane municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar and Navi Mumbai municipal commissioner Rajesh Narwekar were among more than half a dozen bureaucrats to be shifted following the ECI directive. The next day, state submitted three names — Gagrani, BEST general manager Anil Diggikar and MMRDA commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee — to ECI, which picked Gagrani.