IAS Officer Takes Voluntary Retirement. BJP Pits Him Against Navjot Sidhu

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday releases the third list of candidates for Punjab assembly elections and fielded retired IAS officer Jagmohan Singh Raju against Congress state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu from Amritsar East.

The party has fielded Ram Chawla from Amritsar Central, while Sardar Manjit Singh Manna will be contesting from Baba Bakala.

Mr Raju, who is posted as Chief Resident Commissioner to Tamil Nadu Government, sought voluntary retirement from the IAS on January 25.

"Of late, the painful conditions in my home state, Punjab, have been weighing heavy on my conscience. As a son of the soil, I am agonised at the lingering socio-economic stress and the sufferings of the unheard, youth, and the underprivileged. At the same time, restraints of my service rules confine me from acting in solidarity with the causes espoused by my inner voice. My conscience and deep-rooted love for my home state has therefore been cajoling and nudging me to quit my service, return to Punjab and dedicate myself full-time in its service for the rest of my life," reads Mr Raju's Voluntary retirement letter.

Earlier today, the party had released a list of 27 candidates for the Punjab elections.

The party has fielded Fateh Singh Bajwa from Batala and Vijay Sampla from Phagwara.

BJP President JP Nadda had announced that the party would be contesting 65 seats out of the 117 assembly elections in Punjab.

While Captain Amarinder Singh's party is going to contest 37 seats and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa's party on 15 seats.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)