city police chief quits, to fight polls

January 31,2014
Mumbai: City police commissioner
Satya Pal Singh on Thursday resigned from the IPS and is set to contest the Lok Sabha polls, reports Prafulla Marpakwar. The 1980-batch officer was due for retirement in 2015.
    Singh, the first Mumbai police chief to quit, told TOI, “I have resigned. I have three good offers. One from the BJP, the second from AAP and the third an international offer. I am weighing all options. I am keen to fight the LS polls from Mumbai or UP.”
Mumbai: Satya Pal Singh, who has quit as city police chief, told TOI that he was to decide on the party he would join.
    “Senior citizens and politicians are in touch with me. Certainly, I will contest the elections,” he said.
    Home minister R R Patil said, “I have been told that Satya Pal Singh has submitted his resignation. It will be forwarded to the chief minister. I have no information on his electoral plans.’’
    According to a senior BJP leader, Singh has in the recent past held brief interactions with former BJP chief Nitin Gadkari and incumbent Rajnath Singh on his plans to contest the polls as the party’s nominee from UP. The Maharashtra-cadre IPS officer belongs to UP.
    “We expect the BJP will perform well in UP. Under such circumstances, if people of the stature of Satya Pal Singh join the party, it will enhance its prospects,’’ he said. Besides UP, the BJP has given Singh an offer to fight from Maharashtra too.
    Meanwhile, even the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP has offered him a seat from Mumbai. “Singh has to decide on the party. In view of his image and outstanding performance, he will certainly be a winner,’’ the BJP leader said.
    If Singh opts for the BJP, he will be the second highprofile official to join the party. A month ago, former Union home secretary R K Singh joined the saffron outfit. He is all set to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Bihar.