By Sify Correspondent

New Delhi: As the present head of the Indian government's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Ashok Chaturvedi, retires on January 31, the search for his successor has intensified.

Sources in the Cabinet Secretariat say the choice has now narrowed down to three officers — one each from the IAS, the IPS and the IRS cadre.All the three hopefuls are presently special secretaries in the agency.

The IAS lobby is actively pursuing the case of their colleague, arguing that, given the agency's failures in the recent past, including the lack of actionable intelligence on Mumbai terror attacks, someone with vast administrative experience is required.

Rana Banerjee, an IAS officer of Assam cadre, is being actively considered for the post. The IAS lobby is favouring Banerjee's candidature, particularly due to his expertise on Pakistan.

However, National Security Advisor MK Narayanan is reportedly backing the candidature of PV Kumar, a directly recruited Research and Analysis Service (RAS) officer with specialisation in China. Kumar, RAW insiders say, has had a controversial stint in the organisation.

Incidentally, Narayanan was instrumental in installing RV Raju, an IPS officer of the Jammu and Kashmir cadre hailing from Kerala as the Director General of the newly-created National Investigation Agency.

Outgoing RAW Secretary Chaturvedi is in favour of Sanjiv Tripathi, who now heads the important Aviation Research Centre, a parallel organization under the RAW and involved in signals intelligence. Tripathi, a close friend of Chaturvedi, joined the RAW in 1972 with his father-in-law GS Bajpai, a former head of the organisation. Both Chaturvedi and Tripathi hail from Uttar Pradesh.

Chaturvedi is reported to have apprised the Prime Minister's Office of the bitter professional rivalry between the three panelists, sources said.