Veteran Economist Ashok Lahiri Set to Become Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog as Suman Bery Retires

Veteran economist Ashok Lahiri, with experience across the International Monetary Fund, India’s finance ministry and electoral politics, will take over as vice chairman of NITI Aayog as Suman Bery retires later this month.

Lahiri, who currently serves as a Bharatiya Janata Party Member of the Legislative Assembly from Balurghat in West Bengal, is set to be named the new vice-chairman of NITI Aayog, succeeding Suman Bery. The appointment comes amid ongoing assembly elections in West Bengal, with the second round of voting having taken place on Wednesday, April 22, 2026.

His appointment is part of a broader overhaul of NITI Aayog, where Bery, a surprise pick when appointed four years ago, has at times been bypassed by the Modi administration in favor of direct engagement with the body’s members or chief executive officer. Lahiri brings a rare combination of experience across government, the private sector, and electoral politics to the role.

Career Background and Policy Expertise

Lahiri is a career economist who taught at the Delhi School of Economics and worked at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund before returning to India’s finance ministry in the late 1990s. He later headed the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy and served as the chief economic adviser to the Government of India.

He was subsequently a member of the 15th Finance Commission and is recognized as one of the pioneers in the field of psephology, having co-authored the book ‘India Decides,’ which mapped election outcomes from 1952 to 1989. His work has focused on economic reforms, fiscal policy, and financial regulation, including contributions to the design and implementation of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act.

Lahiri has also been associated with Bandhan Bank, reflecting his engagement with India’s financial inclusion initiatives and regional banking sector.

Concurrent Appointments and Regional Significance

Alongside Lahiri’s appointment, Gobardhan Das, the director of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Bhopal, is to be nominated as a member of NITI Aayog. Das, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University professor, had contested the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections from the Purbasthali Uttar constituency as a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate.

Context Within NITI Aayog Leadership Transition

Suman Bery, whose tenure as vice chairman has spanned four years, is retiring later in April 2026. His appointment had been viewed as unconventional at the time, and there have been multiple instances where the prime minister’s office engaged directly with NITI Aayog members or the chief executive officer, bypassing the vice chairman’s office.

The current structure of NITI Aayog includes a part-time chief executive officer following the exit of BVR Subrahmanyam last month. Lahiri’s assumption of the vice chairmanship is expected to bring greater stability and clarity to the institution’s leadership during a period of ongoing economic policy formulation.