Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The practice of political parties in Madhya Pradesh actively encouraging bureaucrats to take part in politics by offering them assembly poll tickets has gained substantial attention and sparked discussions in recent times. This trend has become particularly noteworthy due to the increasing involvement of bureaucrats and civil servants hailing from reserved categories. A significant example of this transition unfolded when Nisha Bangre, deputy collector in Betul and a young state service officer, chose to relinquish her job to embark on a political journey. She is now gearing up to contest elections for the Amla Assembly seat in Betul. It's worth noting that the Congress party has also pledged to support her candidacy.
Another prominent bureaucrat, Rajiv Sharma, a senior IAS officer who previously served as the commissioner of Shahdol, has also set his sights on a political career. With just two years remaining until his scheduled retirement, the government accepted his resignation. Sharma now aspires to secure a ticket from the Congress party to contest elections in his home district of Bhind.
In addition to high-ranking bureaucrats, several government officers have also expressed their interest in joining the political arena, causing some frustration among local political workers who have long awaited their chance at securing a party ticket.
Notable figures who made this transition include former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, a former IAS officer, who retired as chief secretary of Madhya Pradesh, Susheel Chandra Verma, a three-term MP from Bhopal, retired IPS officers Pannalal and Rustam Singh, who contested on BJP tickets, with Rustam Singh even serving as a minister in the BJP government. Retired IAS officer Bhagirath Prasad was elected as an MP from Bhind on a Congress ticket, and retired chief engineer of PHE Guman Singh Damor became MP from Jhabua.
A group of retired bureaucrats, led by former IAS officer Hiralal Trivedi, established an organisation known as Samanya Pichra Alpsankhyak Kalyan Samaj (SAPAKS). This organisation opposed reservation policies and amendments to the SC/ST Atrocity Act. SAPAKS initially declared it would create a political wing and contest all 230 seats in the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections in 2018. However, during the 2018 assembly elections, the organisation struggled to garner voter support and faced electoral setbacks. More recently, IAS officer Varad Murty Mishra resigned from his position to enter politics and disclosed plans to establish a new political party.
Madhya Pradesh's former DGP, Pawan Jain, has ventured into politics in Rajasthan, where he is seeking a ticket to represent the Rajakheda assembly constituency. A common theme behind the selection of leaders who left government jobs to join politics is the requirement for education and financial resources to contest elections. These attributes are not frequently found together among other leaders. Additionally, leaders from government service often tend to be less vocal, a quality that political parties find advantageous in the context of Madhya Pradesh's tribal and Dalit dominance.
