Ranchi, March 4
This story was published here: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/former-bureaucrats-line-up-for-tickets-in-bihar-jharkhand/
At least six former civil servants are likely to be in the fray for Jharkhand's 14 seats this elections, with almost all of them preferring to be with the BJP.
The competition is so intense that two retired officers, of the IPS and IAS, are competing against each other to be BJP's candidate from the SC-reserved Palamu seat.
The BJP attributes this inflow to its Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. "There is a Modi wave all over the country. These people, who want to serve the people, are attracted by the work of Modi," said senior BJP leader and legislator Raghubar Das.
Three seem to have guaranteed themselves seats: former Additional Director of Police Amitabh Choudhary who has joined the JVM(P), along with two sitting MPs, BJP's Yashwant Sinha and JVM(P)'s Ajoy Kumar. Sinha, the Hazaribagh MP and former Union Finance Minister, was an a Joint Secretary. Kumar, who resigned after making Superintendent of Police, won the 2011 by-election from Jamshedpur.
Choudhary, also the Jharkhand State Cricket Association president, took voluntary retirement in July last year. After unsuccessfully angling for the BJP's Ranchi ticket, he joined Babulal Marandi's party on February 27. The party is yet to declare its candidates, but Choudhary looks all set to contest. At an interview last week, Choudhary - who had seven years of service left - sought to distinguish himself from most of the others. “There is a distinction between somebody who had an option and has left that option to choose this. The other case is where they did not have an option – they were superannuated, had few months’ service left or there were no chance they would have reached the top of their cadre. These are different cases from where somebody who was already at the top and had a long tenure left. What have you left to come here?” he said.
Former Jharkhand Director General of Police V.D. Ram joined the BJP in April last year after retirement. He wants to contest from the Palamu seat and has been touring the constituency. However, retired IAS officer Mukhtiar Singh, who was chairperson of the Jharkhand Electricity Regulatory Commission post-retirement, has joined the same party and wants the Palamu seat for himself.
Punjab cadre IPS officer Arun Oraon, whose in-laws held the Lohardaga constituency for four tenures between them, is waiting for the BJP's green light to join and officially launch his campaign. Lohardaga is also the constituency of former IPS officer Rameshwar Oraon, who won in 2004 but lost in 2009. "I have requested that my home cadre relieve me by March 10. I know Lohardaga well; apart from the history my in-laws have, I have served there, too," he said. His father Bandi Oraon lost in the constituency in 1996. Bandi Oraon was a two time state legislator from Gumla's Sisai; Arun Oraon's wife and state minister Geetashree Oraon represents the constituency now.
Jharkhand's former energy secretary Vimal Kirti Singh is reportedly intent on joining the BJP. However, his choice of constituency is not clear yet - earlier reports from the bureaucrat's camp indicated his intention of contesting from home state Bihar; of late, it seems that he might go for Dhanbad in Jharkhand.
The Congress on Monday inducted former IAS officer Binod Kispotta into the party on Monday. Kispotta, of the Manipur cadre, retired as an additional secretary in 2012. Congress sources say he is not likely to contest in the general election, though.
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