The upcoming Assembly elections in Gujarat may see a record number of bureaucrats and police officers,both serving and retired,joining the electoral fray. In many cases,family members are pitted against each other at the hustings. On Monday,the Gujarat government approved a voluntary retirement request from an IPS officer,Bhavsinh Ditabhai Vaghela,who is posted as an additional commissioner of police in Surat. Known to be a loyalist of CM Narendra Modi,Vaghela is set to contest Assembly elections on a BJP ticket,probably from Dahod,his home district. A fax from the DGP office reached him Sunday evening,approving his premature retirement. I am happy and thankful to the government of Gujarat that they approved my voluntary retirement, Vaghela,a Dalit,told The Indian Express. Jagatsinh Vasava,Gujarats first tribal IAS officer,is set to contest on a Congress ticket from Mangrol in south Gujarat. He is likely to be pitted against his brother-in-law from the BJP,Ganpatsinh Vasava,who is currently the state Assemblys Speaker. Vasava,a 1982-batch officer,last served as secretary to the Government of Assam before he retired on May 31 this year. He is now settled in Zarpal village in Umarpada taluka of Surat district. Vasavas wife Indira is Ganpat Vasavas cousin. B J Sosa,the deputy district development officer in Surendranagar district,is not as lucky as Vaghela. He superannuates at the end of this month but had made a request for voluntary retirement a month before the due date so he could contest on a Congress ticket from Gadhada in Bhavnagar,a seat reserved for scheduled caste candidates. However,Rajnikant M Patel,the former additional chief secretary who was felicitated at a grand ceremony on Sunday while being welcomed into the BJP fold,reportedly opened an inquiry against Sosa in a 2006 case of alleged irregularities. Sosa said,I dont want to comment on the issue as my request is pending before the government. Patel,who is himself set to contest on a BJP ticket either from reserved constituency of Asarwa in Ahmedabad or Kadi town in Mehsana,told The Indian Express,A departmental inquiry against Sosa was referred to the Vigilance Commission last week. He had applied for VRS a month ago,but it cannot be granted when an inquiry is pending. Modi had reportedly asked Patel to join BJP after he got tremendous response in Garib Kalyan Melas,which were designed and executed by the official just before the 2010 local body elections,which the BJP swept. The ruling BJP and Opposition Congress are both luring popular senior bureaucrats who fit into their caste-community equations to contest or campaign for them. State Congress chief Arjun Modhwadia said at least 15-20 officers were expected to join his party after their retirement ahead of elections. The long queue Some of those joining the fray: Jiluji Chavda,IFS officer and elder brother of former Congress MLA C J Chavda,joined BJP after retirement on September 30. N K Bumbadiya (Retired ACP) applied for early retirement in 2007 for a Congress ticket. Request denied. Now,might contest after regular retirement. V V Rabari (retired IPS officer) is chairman of Gujarat Congresss maldhari cell and may contest polls from north Gujarat. In 2007,Modi gave ticket to a serving IAS officer,B H Ghodsara,from Dhrol in Jamnagar district. Ghodsara is son-in-law of an influential business group head based in Saurashtra. He lost polls and is chairman of Gujarat State Road Transport Service Corporation (GSRTC).
