# Andhra IAS officer may go on leave amid CMO rivalry

2026-08-20T15:43:26+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 1 independent outlet

Senior IAS officer Katamaneni Bhaskar is reportedly considering going on long leave after two officers under his supervision were transferred without his knowledge, allegedly by CMO official Kartikeya Mishra. Bhaskar, who heads a department linked to minister Nara Lokesh, is said to have met Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to protest the transfers. Naidu is reported to have assured him the two officers would continue in their posts, but no formal order reversing the transfers has been issued yet. Kartikeya Mishra, an IAS officer in the Chief Minister's Office, is accused by multiple bureaucrats of wielding disproportionate influence and behaving rudely. Sources claim Mishra had earlier tried to get Bhaskar transferred, but Naidu and Lokesh did not agree. Some officials and ruling party MPs have reportedly complained about Mishra's style of functioning, comparing him to former CMO officer Praveen Prakash during the previous Jagan government.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

This tussle highlights a recurring pattern in Andhra's bureaucracy: CMO insiders with perceived proximity to the top often acquire informal power that bypasses departmental hierarchy. The key test is whether Naidu issues a written order cancelling the transfers, which would formally curb Mishra's influence. If Bhaskar goes on leave, it could trigger a wider resentment among upright officers and become a political embarrassment for the government. The next signal to watch is the status of the two transferred officers within the next week.

## Coverage

- greatandhra.com <https://www.greatandhra.com/politics/gossip/andhra-ias-officer-to-go-on-leave-under-pressure/>
  Leads with rumour and speculation, uses unnamed 'reports' and 'sources' heavily, and frames the story around internal drama and comparisons to previous government

This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.

Tags: Andhra Pradesh, Kartikeya Mishra, Katamaneni Bhaskar, N Chandrababu Naidu, Nara Lokesh
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