Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted the voluntary retirement plea of Odisha cadre IAS officer Aparajita Sarangi amid speculation about her possible political venture.
The bureaucrat confirmed the development on her microblogging site Twitter Friday night.
“I just received my order finally approved by our Hon’ble Prime Minister today. I am grateful to him for his kind acceptance and approval. I look forward to the next journey with enthusiasm, positivity and optimism. I seek the blessings of Lord Jagannath and good wishes of all,” tweeted Aparajita.
The state government had given its go-ahead earlier this week to her request to be relieved.
When Orissa POST asked Aparajita whether she nursed any political ambitions, she neither denied nor confirmed it. “It will be premature to say anything now. Things will be cleared later,” she said.
Be that as it may, Aparajita wouldn’t be the first ‘former bureaucrat’ in the state to don political robes if she chose to do so.
Earlier, former principal accountant general Amar Patnaik had joined Biju Janata Dal in April this year and is now the chief of the Information Technology wing of the party. The former Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IAAS) officer had exposed several irregularities against the government when in service.
Similarly, 1979-batch IPS officer Arup Patnaik, the former Mumbai Police Commissioner, had joined BJD in April and later was picked by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik as the chairman of Biju Yuva Vahini.
Likewise, 1981-batch IAS officer Ashok Tripathy had joined BJP in June this year after his superannuation. Moreover, former director general of All India Radio Giridhari Mohanty had also joined BJD in April 2018. Naveen appointed him as the national spokesperson and media coordinator of the party. The retired Indian Information Service (IIS) officer had also served as the spokesperson of CBI.
Further, after quitting the Indian Railway Service (IRS), Kharavela Swain plunged into politics joining the BJP and won the Balasore Lok Sabh seat thrice.
Aparajita, the 1994-batch IAS officer and also the first Commissioner of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), is widely known for her drastic measures in elementary education system as well as in the civic administration. She enjoyed popularity during her stint in BMC from 2006 to 2009.
A native of Bihar, she had married her batchmate Santosh Sarangi and went on central deputation in 2013. She had also worked as director, panchayati raj; secretary, higher education; commissioner, consolidation and secretary, textiles and handloom.
