Ex-bureaucrats take political plunge in Bihar elections

REtired bureaucrats ar more and more trading stalls careers for the unpredictable scene of action of political relation in Bihar as the countdown to the 2025 assembly elections begins.This election season, a sizeable number of retired bureaucrats have expressed political ambitions. Among them are retired Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer Manoj Bharti and former IPS officers Braja Kishore Singh, Amitabh Kumar Das, Jay Prakash Singh, Ashish Mishra and Shivdeep Waman Lande.While Bharti, Das and Jay Prakash Singh have joined Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party, Braja Kishore Singh and Ashish Mishra are in the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), respectively.Lande, widely popular for his policing style, opted for voluntary retirement in 2024 and went a step further, launching his own political outfit Hind Sena on April 8.S Siddharth, a 1991-batch IAS officer who was denied voluntary retirement, has been hinting at political plans through his social media outreach and public events. Currently serving as additional chief secretary of state education department, Siddharth opted for VRS on July 17. “He is likely to contest Bihar assembly election from one of the seats in Nawada district on a JD(U) ticket. A final decision on the matter is to be taken by the chief minister,” a senior officer of the CM’s secretariat said, asking not to be named.A 2000-batch Odisha-cadre IAS officer Manish Verma appears to be eyeing the Nalanda seat, while Dinesh Kumar Rai, a 2010-batch IAS officer, may contest on a Janata Dal (United) ticket due to his proximity to chief minister Nitish Kumar.Three other retired IAS officers — Arvind Kumar Singh, Gopal Narayan Singh, and Lallan Jee — have already joined Jan Suraaj Party, alongside 2000-batch IPS officer Jay Prakash Singh.The migration of officers from bureaucracy to politics is not new in Bihar. Former IPS Sunil Kumar and ex-IAS RCP Singh both served in the Nitish Kumar cabinet.“Earlier, professionals contributed from advisory positions, but now they want to lead from the front,” said Manindra Nath Thakur, professor of political science at Jawaharlal Nehru University. “This change reflects a wider disillusionment with traditional politics and a yearning for direct accountability.”Political parties in Bihar — acutely aware of voter fatigue with conventional leadership — are embracing this influx of professionals. They are projecting them as clean, efficient, and reformist alternatives to entrenched power brokers. A senior RJD strategist said the goal is to “add credibility to the ticket” by fielding people with proven administrative or technical competence.“This isn’t merely a cosmetic move,” the strategist added. “Voters now expect performance and transparency. Retired bureaucrats can bridge that gap.”Many have tried to take the route earlier, often unsuccessfully. Former Bihar DGPs DP Ojha contested from Begusarai Lok Sabha seat in 2004 as an Independent candidate and Ashish Ranjan Sinha contested from the Nalanda Lok Sabha seat in 2014 as a Congress nominee but failed to make a mark. Another IPS officer, Ajoy Kumar, now with the Congress, won the Jamshedpur Lok Sabha seat in 2011 before fading from electoral relevance.“But unlike the past, the current trend seems more coordinated and better timed. This generation of professionals is more media-savvy, more ideologically aware, and better networked. They understand that politics is not just about patronage but about perception,” said Thakur.Some former officials admit frustration with bureaucratic limitations; others see politics as a more direct way to improve lives. “In government service, you implement someone else’s vision. In politics, you can create your own,” said Braja Kishore Singh, former Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police, now with VIP.There is also a social transformation underway. “Bihar’s expanding middle class—partly shaped by returnee migrants and educated youth—is demanding candidates with credibility and competence. This creates space for professionals who can promise governance over populism,” said Jay Prakash Singh, now a senior functionary in Jan Suraaj Party.A JD(U) insider said the party may field “two or three former IPS officers” in 2025. The RJD, on the other hand, is considering professionals from health and education backgrounds to diversify its ticket, said senior RJD leader Mrityunjai Tiwari. The Congress and smaller outfits such as Pappu Yadav’s Jan Adhikar Party are following suit, added Parvej Alam, a Congress leader.