Even as Uddhav Thackeray is on a transfer spree, speculation is rife that his Principal Secretary Bhushan Gagrani will be shifted out of the Chief Minister's Office. The rumours started floating after senior bureaucrat Ashish Kumar Singh replaced Gagrani, who is on a family vacation abroad.

Additional chief secretary Sitaram Kunte issued an order on Thursday, asking Singh to take the charge of the office immediately. Singh was the principal secretary to Prithviraj Chavan when the Congress leader helmed the state between 2010 and 2014. The BJP-led government, after taking charge of the state, sidelined Singh. However, he eventually returned to the mainstream with important tasks at Mantralaya. At present, he is the principal secretary at the Transport and Ports Department.