Bangalore, April 6: The trickle of policemen to politics continues in Karnataka, and the Assembly elections in May could see a record of sorts with as many as five recently retired officers, including two from the IPS, strongly placed to get tickets to contest the polls.

While in the past IPS officers have entered politics after retirement, this time they have gone in for voluntary retirement.

Subhash Bharani, 58, a 1975-batch IPS officer who was until recently an Additional Director General of Police and the head of the crime and technical services wing of the Karnataka police, has given up 14 months of service to be in line for a Congress ticket from the T Narasipur constituency in Mysore.

K C Ramamurthy, 55, a state promoted IPS officer from 1982, until recently an Additional Commissioner of Police for traffic in Bangalore, is giving up over four years of service to get a Congress ticket from the newly created Sarvagnanagar constituency in the Bangalore urban district.

When elections became imminent in Karnataka in November 2007, there were two other IPS officers, both considered close to the Janata Dal (Secular), with considerable years of service remaining, who were contemplating early retirement to plunge into politics, but both have chosen to stay on in service.

The non-IPS recent retirees from the Karnataka police who are in contention for poll tickets are B K Shivaram, M D Divakar and G A Bawa, all assistant commissioners of police in Bangalore until recently.

Shivaram, brother of AICC member B K Hariprasad and the head of the organised crime wing of the Crime Branch until his voluntary retirement last year, is tipped for a Congress ticket from the Malleswaram constituency in Bangalore.

Divakar, head of the fraud and misappropriation squad of the Crime Branch before he opted for retirement last year, is reported to be angling for a JD(S) ticket.

The fifth officer Bawa, against whom a departmental inquiry was carried out in connection with the Telgi case, is joining politics after formal retirement and seeking a Congress ticket.

While most officers cite a desire to do public service as the primary driving force behind their decision to join politics, the lack of scope for reaching higher posts and a pro-active anti-corruption agency like the Lokayukta are also reasons for early exits.

In the last 24 months, the Lokayukta has arrested 18 police officers above the rank of police inspector on corruption charges, including two superintendents of police, one additional SP, two Deputy SPs and two assistant commissioners of police.

“In a sense my police career had come to a dead end,” says Subhash Bharani. “There was no point in continuing to remain in government service. At the same time I am still young at heart and have been doing public service for the last 33 years. I don’t want to live a passive life, so I decided to enter politics.”

Bharani, who has been criticised for dedicating more time to politics than government service as a police officer, has built a sizeable constituency as a Dalit leader and is confident of winning if given a ticket. “I have expressed my desire to my seniors in the Congress party and if asked to contest, I am ready to do so,” he said.

Ramamurthy, who comes from a family with political connections and a sizeable land holding in Bangalore, was initially touted to be angling for a BJP ticket, but is now banking on the Congress. “I thought I could be closer to public service in politics than by being in the Government. Having roots in Sarvagnanagar I am familiar with the people and problems,” he says.

According to Shivaram he is entering politics to serve people directly after serving them through the police force for decades.

Over the years Karnataka has seen several policemen enter politics. In the last parliamentary polls former Bangalore police commissioner H T Sangliana, an IPS retiree, was elected from Bangalore North on a BJP ticket. In the 2004 polls, Assistant Commissioner of Police from the Crime Branch Abdul Azeem had retired voluntarily to contest on a JD(S) ticket in Bangalore, and lost. Former Bangalore police commissioners P Kodandaramaiah and L Revannasiddaiah, both IPS retirees from a few years ago, are still active in politics.