Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has carried out a major bureaucratic reshuffle, transferring 34 IAS officers and changing the District Magistrates of 14 districts. The late-night orders have brought new field postings for several officers while moving a number of serving DMs to departmental assignments.
The districts receiving new District Magistrates are Moradabad, Hardoi, Etah, Kushinagar, Kanpur Nagar, Sant Kabir Nagar, Pilibhit, Ballia, Amethi, Baghpat, Mahoba, Bijnor, Hathras and Hamirpur. Current reports confirm the same 14-district change, with Mahendra Singh Tanwar moving from Kushinagar to Kanpur Nagar among the key appointments.
The reshuffle comes shortly after another major round of senior-level changes in the state administration. Reports have linked the latest district-level exercise to preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections, although the government order itself sets out the transfers and postings rather than citing election preparation as the official reason.
14 Districts Get New District Magistrates
The latest order brings changes in 14 districts, with a mix of experienced field officers and officers moving into district administration for the first time.
2015 batch IAS officer Anunaya Jha, previously District Magistrate of Hardoi, has been appointed DM of Moradabad. Rahul Pandey, who was serving as Special Secretary in the State Tax Department, has been given charge of Hardoi.
2017 batch IAS officer M Arunmozhi, Vice-Chairperson of the Agra Development Authority and Divisional Food Controller, has been appointed DM of Etah, while Sanjay Chauhan, who was DM of Amethi, has been moved as DM of Kushinagar.
2015 batch IAS officer Mahendra Singh Tanwar, who was serving as Kushinagar DM, has been appointed District Magistrate of Kanpur Nagar. His appointment replaces Jitendra Pratap Singh, who has been moved as Director of the Uttar Pradesh State Agricultural Produce Market Council.
Anuj Malik, CEO of the Gorakhpur Industrial Development Authority, has been appointed DM of Sant Kabir Nagar. Alok Kumar, who was serving as Sant Kabir Nagar DM, has been transferred to Pilibhit.
2014 batch IAS officer Gyanendra Singh has been moved from Pilibhit to Ballia as District Magistrate, while Shashank Chaudhary, Additional CEO of Invest UP, has been appointed DM of Amethi.
Divyanshu Patel, Municipal Commissioner of Moradabad Municipal Corporation, has been appointed DM of Baghpat. Prabhas Kumar, Special Secretary in the Namami Gange and Rural Water Supply Department and Joint Managing Director of UP Jal Nigam (Rural), has been posted as DM of Mahoba.
Umesh Pratap Singh, Special Secretary, Director and Managing Director in the Backward Classes Welfare setup, has been appointed DM of Bijnor. Satya Prakash Patel, Special Secretary in the Urban Development Department, has been posted as DM of Hathras.
Ashok Kumar, Special Secretary in the Irrigation and Water Resources Department and Special Secretary in Prison Administration and Reform, has been appointed DM of Hamirpur.
Mahendra Singh Tanwar Gets Kanpur Nagar
One of the prominent changes in the reshuffle is the movement of Mahendra Singh Tanwar from Kushinagar to Kanpur Nagar.
Tanwar has been appointed the new District Magistrate of Kanpur Nagar, replacing Jitendra Pratap Singh. The latter has been appointed Director of the Uttar Pradesh State Agricultural Produce Market Council.
The change comes as Kanpur gets a new administrative leadership at the district level, while Tanwar moves to one of the state’s major urban and industrial districts.
Rajendra Pensia Moved After Around Four Months in Moradabad
Rajendra Pensia, who had been serving as District Magistrate of Moradabad, has been moved again and appointed Special Secretary in the Prison Administration and Reform Department.
Pensia had taken charge as Moradabad DM on May 5 and remained in the post for around four-and-a-half months. His transfer is among the more notable changes in the latest reshuffle.
He had earlier served as District Magistrate of Sambhal for around 23 months and had attracted attention during his tenure there, including in connection with the Sambhal mosque-related developments. His subsequent move to Moradabad was followed by the latest transfer back to a departmental assignment.
Several Outgoing DMs Get Departmental Assignments
A number of the district magistrates who have been moved out of their districts have received senior assignments in state departments and government institutions.
Jitendra Pratap Singh, who was DM of Kanpur Nagar, has been appointed Director of the Uttar Pradesh State Agricultural Produce Market Council.
Jasjit Kaur, DM of Bijnor, has been appointed Managing Director of the Uttar Pradesh Electronics Corporation.
Ghazal Bhardwaj, DM of Mahoba, has been appointed Additional Chief Executive Officer of Invest UP.
Asmita Lal, DM of Baghpat, has been appointed Special Secretary in the Backward Classes Welfare Department and related institutions.
Abhishek Goyal, DM of Hamirpur, has been appointed Special Secretary in the Appointment and Personnel Department.
Mangla Prasad Singh, DM of Ballia, has been appointed Managing Director of the Uttar Pradesh Cooperative Sugar Mills Federation Ltd.
Arvind Singh, DM of Etah, has been appointed Special Secretary, Food and Civil Supplies.
Rajendra Pensia, DM of Moradabad, has been appointed Special Secretary, Prison Administration and Reform.
Atul Vats, DM of Hathras, has been appointed Special Secretary, Revenue.
Gyanendra Singh Moves From Pilibhit to Ballia
Gyanendra Singh has been transferred from Pilibhit and appointed District Magistrate of Ballia.
During his tenure in Pilibhit, Singh drew attention for a fuel-conservation initiative during a period of heightened tensions involving Iran, Israel and the United States.
As part of the campaign, he removed the escort vehicle assigned to his security and encouraged officials residing in the Officers’ Colony to walk to the Collectorate. The initiative came after appeals from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for fuel conservation.
He will now take charge of Ballia, replacing Mangla Prasad Singh, who has moved to the Uttar Pradesh Cooperative Sugar Mills Federation.
Nine Officers Get Fresh Field Postings
The latest reshuffle also brings nine officers from departmental, development authority and other assignments into district administration.
They include:
- Rahul Pandey, Special Secretary, State Tax Department → DM Hardoi.
- M Arunmozhi, Vice-Chairperson, Agra Development Authority → DM Etah.
- Anuj Malik, CEO, Gorakhpur Industrial Development Authority → DM Sant Kabir Nagar.
- Shashank Chaudhary, ACEO, Invest UP → DM Amethi.
- Divyanshu Patel, Municipal Commissioner, Moradabad → DM Baghpat.
- Prabhas Kumar, Special Secretary, Namami Gange and Rural Water Supply → DM Mahoba.
- Satya Prakash Patel, Special Secretary, Urban Development → DM Hathras.
- Ashok Kumar, Special Secretary, Irrigation and Water Resources → DM Hamirpur.
- Umesh Pratap Singh, Special Secretary, Backward Classes Welfare → DM Bijnor.
Jasjit Kaur Moves to UP Electronics Corporation
Jasjit Kaur has been shifted from the post of Bijnor District Magistrate and appointed Managing Director of the Uttar Pradesh Electronics Corporation.
The 2012-batch Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer has previously served as District Magistrate of Shamli and Sultanpur and as Additional Commissioner in Meerut.
Her tenure as Bijnor DM had also seen judicial scrutiny. According to the supplied source, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court had issued a bailable warrant in connection with the alleged failure to decide a caste-related application despite a court order.
The latest order now moves her from district administration to the state-level public-sector corporation.
Shailendra Bhatia Moves From YEIDA to UPEIDA
Another significant change involves Shailendra Bhatia, who has moved out of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) after nearly five years.
Bhatia had initially been posted to YEIDA as a PCS officer. He served as OSD from June 2024 to December 2025 and was subsequently given charge as Additional CEO.
He has now been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA).
His new assignment is significant in view of the state’s planned expressway expansion. According to the supplied details, around six new expressway projects are expected to be implemented under his supervision, with tenders worth more than ₹50,000 crore associated with these projects.
Other Major Administrative Changes
The reshuffle extends beyond the 14 DM changes and includes several appointments involving development authorities, municipal administration and district-level development posts.
Nitin Madan, Additional District Magistrate (Administration), Rampur, has been appointed Additional CEO of YEIDA.
Vishal Kumar, CDO of Mirzapur, has been appointed CEO of the Gorakhpur Industrial Development Authority.
Santosh Bahadur Singh, Additional District Magistrate (Administration), Saharanpur, has been appointed CDO of Mainpuri.
Vijay Kumar Singh, Chief Revenue Officer of Deoria, has been appointed CDO of Mirzapur.
Himanshu Kaushik, Managing Director of the Uttar Pradesh Electronics Corporation, has been appointed Municipal Commissioner of Moradabad.
The detailed order also assigns Vijay Kumar, Special Secretary in the Appointment and Personnel Department and General Manager of UPDESCO, as Vice-Chairperson of the Agra Development Authority and Divisional Food Controller, Agra.
Neha Bandhu, CDO of Mainpuri, has been appointed Additional Commissioner of the Viksit Bharat Rozgar evam Aajivika Guarantee Mission, while Amandeep Duli, Additional Commissioner (MGNREGA), has been appointed Controller, Legal Metrology.
Nidhi Srivastava, Special Secretary, Higher Education, has been transferred as Special Secretary, State Taxes.
Chandrashekhar, Special Secretary, Irrigation and Water Resources, has been given additional charge of Special Secretary, Wasteland Development.
Full List of 34 IAS Transfers
The reshuffle covers 34 officers. The major postings are:
Anunaya Jha — DM, Hardoi → DM, Moradabad
Rahul Pandey — Special Secretary, State Tax → DM, Hardoi
M Arunmozhi — Vice-Chairperson, Agra Development Authority & Divisional Food Controller, Agra → DM, Etah
Sanjay Chauhan — DM, Amethi → DM, Kushinagar
Mahendra Singh Tanwar — DM, Kushinagar → DM, Kanpur Nagar
Anuj Malik — CEO, Gorakhpur Industrial Development Authority → DM, Sant Kabir Nagar
Alok Kumar — DM, Sant Kabir Nagar → DM, Pilibhit
Gyanendra Singh — DM, Pilibhit → DM, Ballia
Shashank Chaudhary — ACEO, Invest UP & UPEIDA → DM, Amethi
Divyanshu Patel — Municipal Commissioner, Moradabad Municipal Corporation → DM, Baghpat
Prabhas Kumar — Special Secretary, Namami Gange & Rural Water Supply and Joint MD, UP Jal Nigam (Rural) → DM, Mahoba
Umesh Pratap Singh — Special Secretary, Backward Classes Welfare; Director, Backward Classes Welfare; MD, Backward Classes Welfare Corporation → DM, Bijnor
Satya Prakash Patel — Special Secretary, Urban Development → DM, Hathras
Ashok Kumar — Special Secretary, Irrigation & Water Resources and Special Secretary, Prison Administration & Reform → DM, Hamirpur
Himanshu Kaushik — MD, Uttar Pradesh Electronics Corporation → Municipal Commissioner, Moradabad
Vijay Kumar Singh — Chief Revenue Officer, Deoria → CDO, Mirzapur
Santosh Bahadur Singh — ADM (Administration), Saharanpur → CDO, Mainpuri
Vishal Kumar — CDO, Mirzapur → CEO, Gorakhpur Industrial Development Authority
Vijay Kumar — Special Secretary, Appointment & Personnel and GM, UPDESCO → Vice-Chairperson, Agra Development Authority & Divisional Food Controller, Agra
Shailendra Bhatia — ACEO, Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority → ACEO, UPEIDA
Ghazal Bhardwaj — DM, Mahoba → ACEO, Invest UP
Nitin Madan — ADM (Administration), Rampur → ACEO, Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority
Jasjit Kaur — DM, Bijnor → MD, Uttar Pradesh Electronics Corporation
Neha Bandhu — CDO, Mainpuri → Additional Commissioner, Viksit Bharat Rozgar evam Aajivika Guarantee Mission
Amandeep Duli — Additional Commissioner, MGNREGA → Controller, Legal Metrology
Asmita Lal — DM, Baghpat → Special Secretary, Backward Classes Welfare & related institutions
Abhishek Goyal — DM, Hamirpur → Special Secretary, Appointment & Personnel
Mangla Prasad Singh — DM, Ballia → MD, Uttar Pradesh Cooperative Sugar Mills Federation Ltd.
Nidhi Srivastava — Special Secretary, Higher Education → Special Secretary, State Tax
Arvind Singh — DM, Etah → Special Secretary, Food & Civil Supplies
Rajendra Pensia — DM, Moradabad → Special Secretary, Prison Administration & Reform
Atul Vats — DM, Hathras → Special Secretary, Revenue
Chandrashekhar — Special Secretary, Irrigation & Water Resources → Additional charge of Special Secretary, Wasteland Development
The 14 districts that get new DMs are: Moradabad, Hardoi, Etah, Kushinagar, Kanpur Nagar, Sant Kabir Nagar, Pilibhit, Ballia, Amethi, Baghpat, Mahoba, Bijnor, Hathras and Hamirpur.
Reshuffle Comes Amid Election-Related Reporting
The large-scale movement of district magistrates has been reported in the context of preparations for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Current reports describe the changes as part of the state’s broader administrative exercise ahead of the polls.
The supplied source also attributes the reshuffle to dissatisfaction among the Chief Minister and senior officials with the working style of some outgoing district magistrates, and says there was a view that changes were needed before the elections. These are reported claims rather than an officially stated reason in the transfer order and should therefore be treated as such.
The latest round follows other recent administrative changes in Uttar Pradesh, making it one of the more extensive bureaucratic reshuffles in the state in recent weeks.
Administrative Reorganisation Across Field and Departmental Posts
The latest orders combine three broad kinds of movement: changes in district leadership, movement of serving DMs to senior departmental assignments, and induction of officers from development authorities and government departments into field postings.
The 14 new DM appointments cover major urban, industrial, eastern, western and central Uttar Pradesh districts. At the same time, officers such as Shailendra Bhatia, Nitin Madan, Ghazal Bhardwaj and Vishal Kumar have been moved into important development-authority assignments.
With Mahendra Singh Tanwar taking charge in Kanpur, Anunaya Jha moving to Moradabad and Gyanendra Singh taking over Ballia, the reshuffle also gives several officers fresh district-level responsibilities. Meanwhile, Rajendra Pensia, Mangla Prasad Singh, Jasjit Kaur and other outgoing DMs have been shifted to state-level positions.
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