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Ex-IPS officer Manoj Ninama loses Gujarat local polls after retiring early, joining BJP

Manoj Ninama lost the Odh seat in the Aravalli district panchayat election to Congress veteran Suresh Ninama by a margin of 2,744 votes.

Manoj NinamaFormer IPS officer Manoj Ninama officially joined the BJP in Gujarat on 9 April . (Source: File)

In a major setback for the BJP in the Aravalli district of Gujarat, former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Manoj Ninama lost the Odh district panchayat seat in the Shamlaji taluka Tuesday. He was defeated by Congress heavyweight Suresh Ninama, a three-term former sarpanch of the Karachha Group Panchayat and an influential Congress leader in the area, by a decisive margin of 2,744 votes.

Manoj Ninama, 59, a Gujarat-cadre IPS officer, joined the BJP on April 9 after taking voluntary retirement on April 7, just weeks before his superannuation on May 31. He was soon named the BJP candidate from Odh, among the 30 candidates the BJP announced for the Aravalli district panchayat elections.

Though Manoj Ninama remained unavailable for comment following the results, he previously told The Indian Express that his foray into politics was inspired by his close friend P C Baranda. Baranda, also a former IPS officer, currently serves as the MLA for Bhiloda and the Minister of State for Tribal Development, Food and Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs.

On joining the BJP, Manoj Ninama said he had been “impressed” by the ideology of “nationalism and development” and the discipline the party follows. “Discipline has been part of my life all through… The BJP is also a party of discipline, and I liked that a lot as it is consistent with my personal values. The ideologies of nationalism and development impress me as do the works of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.

Manoj Ninama has a career spanning over four decades, starting as a Deputy Superintendent of Police in the Gujarat Police Service, with one of his early postings in Bhuj in 2001. He was promoted to the IPS rank in 2012. During his career, Ninama held several top posts in the Gujarat police department, including Superintendent of the Lajpore Jail in Surat and Joint Commissioner of Police, Vadodara.

He was last posted as Inspector General of the Traffic Branch, Gandhinagar, at the time of his voluntary retirement. He also served as the Commandant of Group 2 of the State Reserve Police Force in Vadodara and in the state Intelligence Bureau.

Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues. Expertise: Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including: Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground. Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure. Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case). Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions. Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More

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