Senior Intelligence Bureau officer N C Padhi, who was among the frontrunners in the race for the coveted IB chief's post, has been appointed secretary (security), official sources said on Tuesday.

Padhi is a 1968 batch Indian Police Service officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre.

The government decision makes P C Haldar, a 1970 batch IPS officer from Bihar, a hot contender for the IB top slot. Current IB chief E S L Narisimhan will retire on November 30.

Another hot contender for the post is Ranjit Kumar Das, a 1970 batch IPS officer from Uttar Pradesh.

A fresh round of reshuffle is expected in the IB after the retirement of special secretary in the Union Home Ministry, Anil Chaudhry. This post has traditionally been held by an IPS officer, preferably from IB.