Every Indian bureaucrat aspires to remain relevant and be most sought after, irrespective of a political party in power. For most bureaucrats, this is an unachievable dream. But it was this dream career that Navneet Kumar Sehgal – the retired IAS officer of the 1988 batch from the Uttar Pradesh cadre – had for over three-and-a-half decades. Mr Sehgal, who retired as the additional chief secretary of the Department of Sports in the UP government last July, took charge as chairman of public broadcaster Prasar Bharati – which runs the Akashvani or the All India Radio and the Doordarshan – last month. The plum, post-retirement posting appears to be as alluring as it is challenging, and the 60-year-old top bureaucrat certainly knows it.

Hailing from Chandigarh, Mr Sehgal emerged as a troubleshooter bureaucrat who served across key posts in the UP government. He was a popular bureaucrat with every chief minister, cutting across party lines since 2002. Mr Sehgal’s posting as the district magistrate of Lucknow during the brief tenure of then Chief Minister Mayawati of the BSP between 2002 and 2003 had brought him closer to Ms Mayawati. He was brought back from Central deputation, when the BSP returned to power in 2007. He rose to become Ms Mayawati’s most trusted bureaucrat and held key posts, including that of the secretary to the chief minister. At one point, he was in charge of 12 key departments in the government and had also served as managing director of UP Power Corporation.

Mr Sehgal was removed from all the key posts in 2012, when the SP came to power under Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. He was appointed principal secretary of the Department of Religious Affairs, considered a punishment posting. However, Mr Sehgal proved his administrative mettle by efficiently implementing government schemes for prominent temples. He also introduced train pilgrimage facilities for the elderly, something unknown and unheard of a decade ago.

Mr Yadav soon realised the significance of Mr Sehgal and brought him back as principal secretary (information) to handle the crisis arising from the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots. He was also made CEO of Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority. Mr Sehgal was chiefly instrumental in realising Mr Yadav’s ambitious Lucknow-Agra Expressway project.

Mr Sehgal underwent the same ritual of initial demotion followed by promotion when Yogi Adityanath became the chief minister in 2017. The top bureaucrat was shunted to Khadi and Village Industries Department as principal secretary. Recognising his potential, Mr Adityanath gave Mr Sehgal the additional charge of the MSME Department. In fact, the networking skills of Mr Sehgal played a vital role in making UP’s Global Investors’ Summit 2018 a grand success. Mr Sehgal is also chiefly credited with formulating the State’s Sports Policy 2023 and for hosting the first edition of MotoGP in India in Noida in 2023. Mr Sehgal was a prominent member of the elite Team 9, the team of nine most influential officers who worked closely with chief minister Adityanath.

Mr Sehgal’s communication and networking skills have landed him his new job as the Prasar Bharati head. With general election just weeks away, the Narendra Modi government is banking on the seasoned bureaucrat to channel the government’s views, plans, programmes and achievements across the country effectively. It would be interesting to see how Mr Sehgal would utilise Doordarshan and AIR during the ongoing election season.