MP: 2 officials quit job to contest polls, left in lurch after Cong denied ticket

Bhopal: The just-concluded assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh have cut short the political ambitions of two bureaucrats, who have carved a niche for themselves in the administration, when they had failed to get tickets by Congress to contest the polls.

The two babus quit their jobs to debut in the November 17 assembly elections after reportedly being assured of tickets by Congress for the constituencies of their choice.

Shahdol divisional commissioner Rajiv Sharma, an IAS officer, took voluntary retirement around three months ago with the hope of being fielded by Congress in the Bhind assembly constituency in Chambal region in the state.

Sources said Mr Sharma was recommended by the ‘top leadership’ of Congress for party ticket to contest in Bhind seat, but was shocked to learn that the party decided to field Choudhury Rakesh Singh Chaturvedy in the constituency.

“Mr Sharma was accorded rousing reception by the local people when he returned to Bhind after quitting his job to contest polls from the constituency ahead of the polls”, sources close to the former bureaucrat told this newspaper on Monday.

Sources said he was given the indication by the top brass of Congress here that he may be fielded in the seat if he joined the party prompting him to take voluntary retirement from service.

Mr Sharma who was to retire in 2025 has been credited for nurturing the tribal-dominated Shahdol district as ‘nursery of football’ in Madhya Pradesh.

He had ensured that a football club came up in each panchayat in the district during his four-year-stint as commissioner of the division to bring the tribal youths to the playground to woo them away from the drug addictions.

The growth of football culture in remote tribal pockets in Shahdol district was earlier highly appreciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I wonder why he has been left in the lurch by Congress after promising him a party ticket”, sources close to him.

The former deputy collector of Chhatarpur district Nisha Bangre too was reportedly promised a ticket by Congress to contest from Amla assembly constituency under Betul district in the state.

The 2016 batch public service commission (PSC) cadre officer of Madhya Pradesh tendered her resignation from service in June this year in the wake of denial of permission by the state government to hold ‘Sarva Dharma sammelan’ in her house as a part of house warming function.

The state government however held back approval of her resignation for around four months after issuing a show cause notice to her in connection with the incident.

She later moved the court leading the state government to accept her resignation on October 23. By that time, Congress had declared its candidate for Amla.

She had endeared herself to the people of Amla for solving their issues during her posting as SDM in the locality in 2018-20.

A senior Congress leader while seeking anonymity however said that the names of the two bureaucrats did not figure in the survey of the party made to find prospective candidates.