Appointment comes amid administrative reshuffle as UP gears up for Assembly elections next year
The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday (February 17, 2026) appointed senior IAS officer V Hekali Zhimomi as Principal Secretary of the Forest, Environment & Climate Change Department, signaling a key administrative shift ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
A 1996-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, Zhimomi was repatriated from the Centre on November 8, 2025, where she had been serving as Additional Secretary in the Department of Health & Family Welfare. She had moved to Delhi on central deputation in September 2021 as Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry for a five-year term, scheduled to run until September 2026, but sources said she returned to her parent cadre nearly a year early.
Since her return, she had reportedly been awaiting a key assignment. With her appointment, Anil Kumar (IAS:1998:UP) has been relieved of the Forest portfolio, which he had held in addition to Panchayati Raj.
Zhimomi, who hails from the Sumi (Sema) community of Nagaland, is among the senior-most officers in the Uttar Pradesh cadre with experience at both state and central levels.
According to sources, her posting reflects both administrative considerations and political timing.
With Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh due by February–March 2027, and the ruling Yogi Adityanath-led government completing nearly a decade in office, administrative adjustments are seen as part of broader governance consolidation.
Uttar Pradesh, which sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha, remains central to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s national strategy. While BJP performed well in previous elections, observers say the 2027 cycle will be closely watched, especially in the context of anti-incumbency sentiments and prior electoral results.
With 2027 elections also scheduled in Manipur, Goa, Punjab, and Uttarakhand, political activity is expected to intensify nationally.
(Story reported by Nirendra Dev, edited and framed by MT)
