UP Assembly elections: BJP fields ED former officer Rajeshwar Singh, who probed Chidambarams, from Sarojini Nagar in Lucknow

With the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls round the corner, all parties are releasing their list of candidates.On Tuesday, the BJP released its latest list of 17 more candidates for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh polls in which it has announced that it will be fielding former ED joint director Rajeshwar Singh from Sarojini Nagar.This decision has raised several eyebrows, as Singh announced that he had opted for voluntary retirement from services to contest the polls.In an open letter, Rajeshwar Singh said, "Now, I want to venture into the domain of politics and do something new and good every day. Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji, Hon'ble Home Minister Amit Shah Ji, Hon'ble Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda Ji and Hon'ble Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath Ji have taken the resolve to make India a world power and a Vishwa guru. I shall also be a participant in this mission and contribute with conviction in this process of nation-building."Who is Rajeshwar Singh?The joint director of Enforcement Directorate began his civil service career with the Uttar Pradesh police, where he served for about 10 years while the rest were in the ED.A BTech and PhD in police, human rights and social justice, Singh joined the ED in 2007 on deputation and was permanently absorbed into the ED cadre in 2014.The officer had applied for VRS late last year and his request was granted on Tuesday, paving the way for his electoral debut.While serving in the ED, Rajeshwar Singh had investigated Karti Chidambaram and his father senior Congress leader P Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis deal case.Apart from the Aircel-Maxis deal case, Rajeshwar Singh was also part of the investigating teams that since 2009 probed every corruption case that rocked the UPA government and demolished the credibility of the Congress and its allies — including the 2G spectrum allocation case, the Commonwealth Games scam and the coal mines allocation scam.In 2021, The Wire had reported that Singh and members of his family were selected as probable targets for surveillance by NSO Group, which sells the Pegasus malware.The Wire in a report stated that Singh, who carried out numerous encounters during his stint in the uniform, is married to IPS officer Laxmi Singh, who is currently serving as the Inspector General of Lucknow police range.Reactions to Singh’s foray in politicsBJP's Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey was one of the first people to wish Rajeshwar Singh success in politics and tweeted, "Congratulations and best wishes for the new innings."Unsurprisingly, Congress’ Karti Chidambaram stook a jibe at the BJP. He wrote on Twitter, “Taking ‘VRS’ from the ED to join the BJP is like moving from the wholly owned subsidiary to the parent company.”UP pollsThe upcoming Uttar Pradesh polls shall be held in seven phases — 10 February, 14 February, 20 February, 23 February, 27 February, 3 March and 7 March. The counting of votes shall take place on 10 March.With 15,05,82,750 registered voters on the electoral rolls, the polling stations have been increased to 1,74,351.With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.