PATNA: Mohammad Nurul Hoda, who resigned from the Indian Police Service (IPS) recently, joined Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) led by Mukesh Sahani at a simple function held in the state capital on Wednesday. Hoda, a native of Sitamarhi district in north Bihar, is likely to contest the upcoming assembly elections due later this year.
VIP chief Mukesh Sahani welcomed the 1995-batch IPS officer, who resigned from his post as IG, Railways, into the party, saying they had met two months ago in New Delhi, where he expressed interest in joining active politics. Hoda also expressed his willingness to contest the upcoming state assembly elections from any seat in Sitamarhi district.
“I assured him to convey him the appropriate time to formally join the party. That time has come and Hoda formally joined VIP today. Now he is a member of VIP and will work for the betterment of people of the state. I hope he will come upto the expectations of people and fight for their cause in public life as well,” he told the gathering.
Hoda comes from a family having political background in Sitamarhi district. His elder brother’s wife is a district board chairperson. After finishing his primary and secondary education from Sitamarhi, he went to Delhi University to pursue a graduation in law. In 1995, he joined the IPS and opted VRS (voluntary retirement scheme) after serving 26 years.
Hoda is learnt to have resigned from IRSF as he was not happy with Waqf Amendment Bill passed by the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Speaking at the ‘milan samaroh’, Sahani put to rest speculations about his possible return to BJ-JD(U) led NDA. “I will never join NDA. Its future is bleak, and the NDA is a sinking boat now,” he said. Hoda’s joining has come as a morale booster not only for VIP but also for the mahagathbandhan or grand alliance.
Hoda is not the lone IPS officer from poll-bound Bihar who plunged into active politics. Earlier, Shivdeep Wamanrao Lande, a 2006-batch IPS officer, resigned from service and joined active politics. Lande formed a new political outfit named ‘Hind Sena’ and announced to field its candidates in all 243 assembly seats in the state.
An Assam-cadre IPS officer Aditya Mishra also resigned from his service ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha election. He contested Lok Sabha election as an Independent candidate from Buxar Lok Sabha seat as he was denied ticket from a national party.
He lost to RJD candidate Sudhakar Singh, son of RJD state chief Jagadanand Singh. Sources said that another IPS officer of Bihar cadre is set to resign from his service and plunge into active politics.
However, history has not been in favour of the IPS officers. Except for Sunil Kumar, who is a cabinet colleague of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, several other IPS officers, including Gupteshwar Pandey, Ashish Ranjan Sinha and Dhuv Prasad Ojha (both retired DGPs) have not been so lucky to reach the Vidhan Sabha.
Sunil Kumar, a retired DG-rank officer, won assembly elections from Bhore in Gopalganj district for the first time in the 2020 assembly elections, is state education minister in the NDA government in Bihar.