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New Delhi: We have a long list of former bureaucrats, police officers, diplomats, technocrats, academics and army officers who are into politics. Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is himself a former bureaucrat cum economist. He was a lateral entrant into the Union Cabinet, when the then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao made him his finance minister.
The long list of bureaucrats-turned-politicians features very familiar names like BJP leader Yashwant Sinha (former IAS officer), Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar (former IFS officer - Diplomat), Ajit Jogi (former IAS officer), AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal (former IRS officer), PL Punia, KJ Alphons (both retired IAS officers), Pawan K Varma (former diplomat), Abdul Khaliq, Koppula Raju, Union minister of state for finance JD Seelam (former IAS officer) etc.
Every five years, during the time of Lok Sabha elections this 'privileged' and 'powerful' class appears on the poll scene. Some retired and a few serving also join the politics to 'serve' the nation.
This election season is also no exception to this trend. Several high profile retired babus have already joined the politics. The BJP looks like their favourite party.
Retired Union home secretary RK Singh surprised everybody when he said that he was joining the BJP, two months ago. Former Petroleum secretary RS Pandey has also followed him later. IPS officer Satyapal Singh quit as Mumbai police commissioner to join the BJP. He is expected to contest from one of the Lok Sabha seats in Western UP.
India's former ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Hardip Puri has also joined the BJP. Another IPS officer from Maharashtra RK Jain has also quit leading to the speculations that he is joining the BJP.
What has surprised the most is former RAW chief Sanjiv Tripathi's joining the BJP. Normally the people who earlier held most sensitive agencies like the RAW and the IB stay away from politics.
Some quietly disappear from the public life. Sanjiv Tripathi's joining of the BJP has already led to a heated debate over retired babus joining politics immediately after their retirement. That too a former RAW chief.
Senior IPS officer Arun Oraon of Punjab cadre has applied for voluntary retirement. Oraon, who is from Jharkhand, will most probably contest from Lohardaga seat on a BJP ticket against his brother-in-law anmd Congress leader Rameshwar Oraon, who is also a former IPS officer.
Even diplomat Devyani Khobragade's father Uttam Khobragade has also expressed his desire to join politics to contest in the Lok Sabha polls.
Another IIT graduate and Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani has already decided to contest from Bangalore South Lok Sabha seat on the Congress ticket. The JDS is planning to field retired bureaucrat and former BBMP commissioner Siddaiah from Kolar Lok Sabha seat against a 7 times Congress MP and union minister K H Muniyappa.
Celebrated IPS officer Kiran Bedi is openly backing Narendra Modi for the post of PM. But, she has not officially joined the BJP. Retired Army chief General VK Singh is also keeping the media guessing on his next political moves.
There are some rumours that whistleblower IAS officer Ashok Khemka is contesting in the elections from Haryana. Some say he might opt for the AAP.
The Congress is not attracting most of these men and women any longer. Either they choose BJP or go to regional parties. Only a few join the Congress.
Some of them win elections and survive in politics. Many others just disappear after the elections to appear again after 5 years.
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