IAS Vinay Kumar Leads Race to Succeed Deepak Kumar as Bihar CM's Principal Secretary

Vinay Kumar, a 1999-batch IAS officer of the Bihar cadre, has emerged as the front-runner to succeed Deepak Kumar as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister of Bihar. He is currently Finance Secretary, with additional charge of Urban Development.

The post fell vacant on September 30, 2026. The Bihar government moved Deepak Kumar out of the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) and reassigned him as Vice-Chairman of the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA).

The Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister runs the CMO and acts as the main link between the Chief Minister and the departments. The post is regarded as one of the most powerful in the state bureaucracy.

Vinay Kumar has about 27 years of service. The Finance Department and Urban Development are two of the larger departments, and he has handled both together.

The Bihar government has not announced the appointment. The brief describes him as front-runner without citing the source of that assessment.