Patna, Sept. 26: It was Som Prakash Singh in 2010. It could be Ravi Jyoti this time.

Both are policemen who hung up their boots and plunged into politics and elections to "root out corruption". Som (45), a sub-inspector, had won from Obra in Aurangabad as an Independent. Five years on, his fight against corruption goes on, while Ravi (46), who was Nalanda police station house officer (SHO) until September, gears up for a similar battle. The JDU selected Ravi, a product of Zakir Hussain Delhi College under Delhi University, as its candidate from Rajgir.

"I have been a police officer since 1994. I was posted at Nalanda from May last year till September this year after which I resigned. I did this because politics is in my blood," Ravi said. He said his grandmother, Sarjug Devi, was a freedom fighter. Even his grandfather, Ramji Das, was an influential man, the first Scheduled Caste postman here in British India. "Politics has always attracted me. As a policeman in Nalanda, I think I have done justice, keeping caste and religion at bay," said Ravi, who will file his nomination papers on October 5 to contest from Aurangabad, in the second phase, on October 16.

Five years back, Som had said: "I came into politics because I want to root out corruption." Ravi, too, talks about rooting out corruption and strengthening government schools and public health centres in his area. "I came to know only yesterday that the JDU has selected me as their candidate. In Bihar, most students go to government schools and people in rural areas first rush to public health centres when ill. Teachers of these schools are mostly irregular, just like doctors at PHCs. My aim is to strengthen these areas. As a cop, I handled various cases involving fights. Instead of sending the fighting parties to jail, I would make them sit at the police station for a day. After tempers cooled down, it was possible to arrive at a compromise. This made me popular, I think," Jyoti said.

Should Ravi take tips from Som, he might have to do a rethink. Just two years after he was chosen MLA, Som wanted to quit politics. He had raised questions about alleged corruption in the public distribution system (PDS) and said even chief minister Nitish Kumar was unable to curb corruption. Last year, Patna High Court disqualified him as an MLA saying his resignation from the police had not been accepted in 2010. The Supreme Court reinstated him recently.

Ravi, who hails from Darbhanga, said he would not face similar problems. "The home department has accepted my resignation. There must be a reason why I got a poll ticket. It is for my work as a policeman," he said.

Som has not quit politics. "One should remain within the system and fight graft. I have formed the Swaraj Party and filed my nomination papers today. My fight against graft goes on," he said.