Patna, Sept. 16: Having a stake in a Rs 200 crore business with the additional responsibility of running a teachers' training college and a public school should be enough to keep one busy. But for some, politics gives a bigger kick.

Sarvesh Kumar Singh, who would be contesting the Bihar Assembly poll on a BJP ticket from Matihani in Begusarai district, is one such person.

This 50-something son of the soil was more than happy to figure in the first list of the party, released late on Tuesday evening and which had several new names in it.

"I thank the party leaders for selecting me as a candidate and hope to live up to their expectations," Sarvesh told The Telegraph over phone from New Delhi today.

Having served the central government, which he had joined after clearing the 1990 civil services examination, for a score of years (1990-2010) before opting for voluntary retirement, Sarvesh had his first tryst with politics in the 2010 Assembly election when he had unsuccessfully contested the same seat as an Independent.

"I quit the government job for personal reasons. Once I came back I decided to join politics to serve the people of the area. After the 2010 election, I started a teachers' training college and a public school to keep myself busy. I also have a stake in the family dairy business that has a turnover of about Rs 200 crore. I got close to the BJP through my younger brother Akhilesh, who was a party member, and now I have been rewarded with a party ticket," Sarvesh said.

If this former bureaucrat has a story to share, 38-year-old Ranjit Nirguni too has a tale to tell. Nirguni, the candidate for Sarai Ranjan in Samastipur district, wanted to become a bureaucrat but, unlike Sarvesh, failed to clear the civil services examination.

"After failing to clear the civil service examination in my last attempt in 2006, I was in a state of flux and used to frequent Hardwar and Rishikesh in a bid to get some mental peace. Destiny, however, had something else in store for me and a family feud brought me back to Samastipur in 2010. I decided to stay back instead of returning to Delhi. At that time I had joined the Youth Congress but I left the party soon. Later I successfully contested the district board elections. Around a year ago, I joined the BJP and I hope to come up to the expectations of party leaders who have reposed faith in me," Nirguni, a graduate from Delhi University, said.

Though spiritual subjects are close to his heart, Nirguni appears to have done his homework well on the political front and was quick to point out the factors which he hopes to come into play while taking on political heavyweight Vijay Kumar Choudhary who represents the seat at present and is a minister in the Nitish Kumar government.

"There are around two lakh young voters in my constituency who, I believe, would not vote for a party which does not talk development. This factor would play a key role in this election," he said.

Thirty-nine-year-old Manoj Sharma, who would be the BJP candidate from Goh in Aurangabad district, was happy with his business though he belongs to a political family - late father D.K. Sharma was a two-term MLA. The young man, whose father was with the JDU, started interacting with BJP leaders in 2013 and formally joined the party in 2014.

"Though this would be my first brush with electoral politics, I do hope to perform well as the BJP wants to work for overall development of the society instead of promoting caste politics," he said.

Nikki Hembrom, who is in her forties and who had been shuttling between Banka and Ranchi in neighbouring Jharkhand as a guest teacher of history at Ranchi University, is now willing to leave her first love - teaching history - as she would be the BJP candidate from Katoria Assembly segment in Banka. The seat at present is represented by her father-in-law Sone Lal Hembrom, who has decided to quit active politics owing to poor health.

"Teaching history is something I love but having been given a bigger responsibility of contesting the Assembly election, I have decided to become a full-timer in politics," Nikki, a doctorate in history and Banka district board member, said.

But these new faces notwithstanding, there are many sulking faces in the party as well.

"I have been victimised by BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain," said Aman Paswan, sitting BJP MLA from Pirpainty in Bhagalpur district who has been denied a ticket. Rookie Lalan Paswan, who holds an engineering degree and who accepts having developed a soft corner for the RJD during his B.Tech days (1996-2000), has been given the ticket instead.

A miffed Aman today met JDU leaders and having been told that Pirpainty was likely to go to the RJD kitty, he now intends to meet that party's leaders for a ticket.

"If the RJD gives me a ticket, fine, else I would contest the election as an Independent," Aman told The Telegraph.

The BJP's sitting MLA from Gurua in Gaya district, Surendra Prasad Sinha, who too has been denied a party ticket which has gone to Rajiv Dangi, has different plans.

"Instead of quitting the party I would rather write letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah, briefing them about the evil designs of state leaders. They dislike me because I didn't pay much heed to them and had targeted me because I used to meet Nitish Kumar to discuss development work of my constituency," he said.

Even the BJP's Samastipur unit president, Sushil Choudhary, didn't appear happy over selection of Nirguni as a party candidate.

BJP spokesperson Vinod Narayan Jha said denial of tickets to some of the sitting MLAs was purely based on their poor performance and the feedback received from the ground. "As far as resentment is concerned, everything would be normal within a few days," Jha said.