Lucknow: In poll bound Uttar Pradesh the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) has fielded former joint commissioner of Enforcement Directorate (ED) Rajeshwar Singh from Sarojninagar assembly seat in Lucknow district. Known as super cop, Singh had carried out investigations in famous Maxim and 3G scams besides. He took voluntary retirement from service last week to try his luck in the electoral battle of UP on BJP ticket.
To make the poll interesting the Samajwadi Party has pitched former Professor at Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and former minister Abhishek Mishra against the super cop. Prof Mishra is known to be the most educated politician in UP. He had been a faculty member in the department of Business Policy Area at IIM, Ahmedabad and a postgraduate from Glasgow University in Scotland. Besides, he has done doctorate from the Cambridge University.
Prior to his stint in UP politics, Prof. Mishra has also served as consultant in the defense and home ministry at union government and was associated with the training programme of the new IAS & IPS officers. Mishra, son of former IAS officer of UP cadre JS Mishra, had entered politics in 2012 when as successfully contest assembly polls on SP ticket from Lucknow North constituency. He was made cabinet minister in Akhilesh Yadav government during 2012 to 2017. However in 2017 assembly election, Abhishek Mishra face defeat from the same constituency. Akhilesh Yadav changed the constituency of Mishra this time from Lucknow North to Sarojninagar after BJP fielded super cop Rajeshwar Singh from here.
Rajeshwar Singh belong to high profile family of bureaucrats from UP. While his father was a civil servant, wife is serving Inspector General in UP Police and posted in Lucknow division. Prior to joining ED, Rajeshwar Singh was in the state police service of UP and was posted in Lucknow district.
According to political analyst, SP Chief has changed the seat of Prof. Mishra keeping in mind the caste equations and candidature of super cop.
In Sarojninagar around 1.5 lakh backward voters along with over 50000 Brahmin and 3000 Muslim voters, make things easy for Prof. Mishra. Meanwhile the large number of urban voters and specially the educated youths are said to be the reason behind BJP choosing super cop Rajeshwar Singh as candidate. To field Rajeshwar Singh, the BJP has denied ticket to its cabinet minister and sitting legislator from the seat, Swati Singh.
