Bihar Battle: State’s babus turn netas to reshape political landscape

A growing number of IAS and IPS officers in Bihar are entering politics, with many willing to contest elections. There are several factors that explain this trend, says Anand Mishra, a 2011-batch Assam-cadre IPS officer who resigned to join politics from his native city Buxar.

“Officers today have more social interaction than in the past, and politics becomes an extension of that engagement. Some officers believe that their political bosses are performing well and feel that they could do better. Also, while officials do the work, politicians often claim the credit,” said Mishra, who contested the Buxar Lok Sabha seat in 2024 and secured around 80,000 votes.

Initially aligned with the Jan Suraaj, he joined the BJP last month and is expected to contest in the upcoming Assembly polls. Mishra’s is not an isolated case. In the past three years, many have entered the political arena. Manish Kumar Verma, an Odisha-cadre IAS officer who quit in 2021, joined the JDU and now serves as its national general secretary. “I have been an admirer of Nitish Kumar for transforming Bihar,” he said.

Since coming to power in 2005, Nitish Kumar has often relied on bureaucrats rather than politicians. He backed the appointment of UP-cadre IAS officer RCP Sinha as a Rajya Sabha MP, Union Minister and JDU national president before their eventual fallout. Sinha is now with Jan Suraaj and Verma is seen as his potential successor.

However, it is the Jan Suraaj that has attracted the largest number of IAS and IPS officers. In May 2023, as many as 20 officers joined the party, most of them retired. A senior retired officer said, “With increased life expectancy, many feel they can continue contributing to society even after retirement.”

RK Mishra, a 1984-batch IPS officer, who is among the first retired officers to join the Jan Suraaj, serves as a key adviser to Prashant Kishor. “I have observed several ideologies like Marxism and socialism die. Today’s politics is divisive and toxic. I joint the Jan Suraaj because Kishor has a vision to root out corruption,” he said, stressing that not all officers would not be given the ticket.

Veteran bureaucrats view this trend with concern. Former Bihar DGP Abhyanand remarked that it reflected officers blurring the lines of neutrality even during their service. He said, “During the first two years of our service we are asked to stay away from politics and be neutral.”

Former Chief Secretary of Bihar VS Dubey too disapproved of the trend. He said, “Retired officers should be content with their pension and facilities instead of crawling for power.”

The trend is not new to Bihar. In the 1970s, IG Rajeshwar Lal was made an NLC by the socialists. Yashwant Sinha left the civil service to join the JP movement and later became Union Finance Minister. More recently, retired IAS officer RK Singh served as a Union minister for decades. “What distinguishes the current situation, however, is the sheer number of officers entering politics, often seeking an early retirement to do so,” said a serving IAS officer.