Gujarat officials rush to join poll fray

The upcoming Assembly elections in Gujarat may see a record number of bureaucrats and police officers, both serving and retired, joining the electoral fray.

In many cases, family members are pitted against each other at the hustings.

On Monday, the Gujarat government approved a voluntary retirement request from an IPS officer, Bhavsinh Ditabhai Vaghela, who is posted as an additional commissioner of police in Surat. Known to be a loyalist of CM Narendra Modi, Vaghela is set to contest Assembly elections on a BJP ticket, probably from Dahod, his home district.

A fax from the DGP office reached him Sunday evening, approving his premature retirement. "I am happy and thankful to the government of Gujarat that they approved my voluntary retirement," Vaghela, a Dalit, told The Indian Express.

Jagatsinh Vasava, Gujarat's first tribal IAS officer, is set to contest on a Congress ticket from Mangrol in south Gujarat. He is likely to be pitted against his brother-in-law from the BJP, Ganpatsinh Vasava, who is currently the state Assembly's Speaker.

Vasava, a 1982-batch officer, last served as secretary to the Government of Assam before he retired on May 31 this year. He is now settled in Zarpal village in Umarpada taluka of Surat district. Vasava's wife Indira is Ganpat Vasava's cousin.

B J Sosa, the deputy district development officer in Surendranagar district, is not as lucky as Vaghela. He superannuates at the end of this month but had made a request for voluntary retirement a month before the due date so he could contest on a Congress ticket from Gadhada in Bhavnagar, a seat reserved for scheduled caste candidates.

However, Rajnikant M Patel, the former additional chief secretary who was felicitated at a grand ceremony on Sunday while being welcomed into the BJP fold, reportedly opened an inquiry against Sosa in a 2006 case of alleged irregularities. Sosa said, "I don't want to comment on the issue as my request is pending before the government."

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