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IPS officer Amitabh Choudhary (above) was the brains behind the JSCA International Stadium Complex |
Calcutta, March 7: Amitabh Choudhary, Jharkhand’s special secretary (home) with the rank of ADG and president of the state cricket body, has resigned from government service.
A no-nonsense IPS officer and a top-notch sports administrator, Choudhary quit this morning.
He submitted his resignation to the state’s principal secretary (home) J.B. Tubid, requesting that he be released at the end of the statutory notice period of three months.
Strong indications are that Choudhary, who has brought international cricket to the state capital, will enter politics and contest the next general elections, scheduled in 2014, from Ranchi itself.
The Congress’s Subodh Kant Sahay, who was eased out of the Manmohan Singh cabinet in the wake of a controversy over coal block allocations last year, is the sitting MP from Ranchi.
Choudhary himself played it safe, though. “I’ve had a very rewarding career in the IPS, there has been public recognition and I’m grateful... As for politics let’s wait and see,” he told The Telegraph.
Two political parties are “keen” to get Choudhary, an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, on board.
Clearly, they are aware that Choudhary’s popularity is sky-high after the glitch-free hosting of the January 19 ODI against England at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA)’s world-class facility, in Ranchi.
Besides, as Ranchi’s SSP from early 1997 till the end of 1999, Choudhary took on the dons and made local residents feel secure after a long period of dread to step out in the evenings. He’s highly respected for that.
In fact, Choudhary’s stint as Jamshedpur’s SP, for about two years from late 2000, had been as eventful.
Come May and Ranchi will also become an IPL venue, hosting two “home” matches of the champions, the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Choudhary, a former India manager, is on the IPL’s governing council.
A well-placed source said: “Next year, Amitabh would have attained the rank of a DGP and continued for another six-and-a-half years in service... Quitting wasn’t an easy decision, but with 2014 not far off, he had to do so now.”
Choudhary is from the 1985 batch of the IPS. Originally from the Bihar cadre, he opted for Jharkhand after the bifurcation of the state in 2000.
Cricket-wise, Choudhary has been heading the JSCA since its inception. Seven years ago, he defeated Sudesh Mahto, the state’s home minister (and his boss) at that point in time, when challenged for the top position.
The general elections would be very different, but Choudhary seems to have his game plan ready. Only, he’s not revealing it right now.
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