Shimla, June 1 -- Suspense continues over the appointment of the new chief secretary, even though the incumbent, Sanjay Gupta, superannuated on Sunday. While speaking to the media on Sunday, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhuindicated that the state government is expected to appoint a new chief secretary soon, following the retirement ofoutgoing chief secretary Sanjay Gupta. He praised Gupta's tenure, saying he had served the state effectively and taken several important decisions during histerm. "The government will take a decision after due consultation and Himachal Pradesh is likely to have a new chief secretary by tonight," Sukhu said. The department of personnel has already forwarded a panel of the five senior-most IAS officers from the Himachal cadre, including officers serving in the state as well as those on central deputation. The names under consideration are KK Pant of the 1993 batch; Anuradha Thakur and Onkar Sharma, both from the 1994 batch; and Bharat Khera and RD Nazeem of the 1995 batch. Traditionally, chief ministers in Himachal have mostly adhered to seniority while appointing chief secretaries. However, there have also been notable instances where seniority was overlooked to place a trusted officer in the top administrative position. KK Pant, currently serving as additional chief secretary (forest), is the senior-most officer. However, Onkar Sharma,additional chief secretary (tribal affairs), is also seen as a strong contender, alongwith the junior-most, RD Nazeem. Nazeem presently handles key portfolios, including industries and transport, and is also considered a favourite of Sukhu....