Race for Telangana DGP intensifies as State sends list of 7 IPS officers to UPSC.
The Telangana government has forwarded a shortlist of seven senior IPS officers to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for consideration for the state’s top police post—Director General of Police (Head of Police Force). The move comes amid rising speculation over who will be appointed to lead the state’s police force.
The names on the list include C V Anand, Ravi Gupta, Jitender, B Shivadhar Reddy, Shikha Goel, Soumya Mishra, and K Sreenivasa Reddy. Among them, Hyderabad Police Commissioner C V Anand and Intelligence Chief B Shivadhar Reddy are seen as strong contenders, according to sources familiar with the process.
Special Chief Secretary (Home) Ravi Gupta, the senior-most among the candidates, served as in-charge DGP between December 2023 and July 2024 before being succeeded by Jitender. C V Anand is set to retire in June 2028, while Shivadhar Reddy’s retirement is due in April 2026.
As per Supreme Court directives, any officer appointed as Head of Police Force must be guaranteed a minimum tenure of two years, irrespective of their superannuation timeline.
Since the Congress government took office in December 2023, Telangana has not had a permanent DGP. The position has so far been filled by officers holding in-charge or additional charge roles. The last full-time DGP was M Mahendar Reddy, who was appointed in 2018 by the previous BRS government and served until December 2022.
Following his tenure, officers like Anjani Kumar, Ravi Gupta, and Jitender have held the role in coordination capacities, but without a formal, full-time appointment.
The UPSC will now evaluate the submitted names based on service record, seniority, tenure, and remaining years of service. It will then recommend a panel of three officers to the state government, which will make the final selection.
