After Jain, the 1990 batch IAS officer Rajesh Rajora tops the list in seniority. Besides Rajora, Ashok Barnwal (1991), VL Kantharao and Pankaj Agarwal (1992), and Neeraj Mandloi (1993) vie for the post of CS. The most important issue about the appointment of a new CS is whether the PMO sends someone or an officer from the state gets the job.