Vijayawada: Senior IAS officer A. Md Imtiaz, who resigned from service a day ago, joined the YSRC on Thursday in the presence of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy at the CM’s Camp Office in Tadepalli.
Imtiaz said he appreciated the welfare and development initiatives of the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government and hence joined the YSRC.
After taking voluntary retirement, the senior IAS officer is likely to contest the Assembly polls from his hometown of Kurnool. YSRC regional coordinator Ramasubba Reddy, Kurnool MLA Hafeez Khan, Kurnool mayor B.Y. Ramaiah, and former MLA S.V. Mohan Reddy were present.
Imtiaz served as additional chief commissioner of land administration for a year. He earlier served as district collector of Krishna, CEO of SERP (society for elimination of Rural Poverty), and secretary of the minority welfare department.
A state cadre IAS officer of the 2009 batch, Imtiaz had topped the Group-I examination and opted for the commercial taxes department. Known as a humble and honest officer, Imtiaz had been active in public service through his family-managed trust. His father-in-law, K.M. Ismail, is known as the humble ‘two and five rupee’ doctor in Kurnool.
Jagan Mohan Reddy summoned both the sitting MLA Hafeez Khan and former MLA Mohan Reddy to his camp office before inducting Imtiaz into the party. As both Hafeez Khan and Mohan Reddy were aspiring for the party ticket, Jagan Mohan Reddy conveyed to them his decision to field Imtiaz as the party candidate.
Imtiaz said he expected that the YSRC would bring big changes in society by developing people from all sections of society. “I am very thankful to CM Jagan Mohan Reddy and other leaders for giving me an opportunity to be in the YSRC.”
Sources said he might contest either an Assembly or a Lok Sabha seat.
Imtiaz, initially a Group-1 officer, rose to the IAS position (2009 batch) after serving in various departments. He maintained good relations with Jagan Mohan Reddy during his tenure as collector of Krishna district.
There exist rivalries in Kurnool City YSRC, with sitting legislator Dr. Hafeez Khan facing problems amid speculations that Imtiaz might be the candidate from the same community.
Following the resignation of sitting MP Sanjeev Kumar from the YSRC, the party is seeking a replacement. The name of labour minister P. Jayaram is in circulation, but he has not explicitly expressed an interest and remained silent. As a result, the position is currently vacant, and the party may decide on a suitable candidate to fill this position.
