Bhanu
The saffron party is trying to play the 'outsider' tag for Congress candidate MGVK Bhanu in its election campaigns in Tezpur. Image Credit - Business Line

Senior IAS officer and Additional Chief Secretary to the Assam Government, MGVK Bhanu, who retired from Government service on Tuesday, in a video, said he would join public life after his retirement.

According to sources, Bhanu, who served as the Additional Chief Secretary to the Labour and Welfare Department, Assam, is a strong contender for party ticket of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to fight the Lok Sabha elections scheduled to be held in 2019 from the Tezpur Lok Sabha constituency.

It may be mentioned that during an interview with a local TV channel Bhanu had said that he would stay at Tezpur in Sonitpur district after his retirement. Bhanu during his posting at Tezpur earlier had taken a mega project of beautification of the town.

As per sources, Bhanu is likely to replace RP Sharma, BJP MP from Tezpur Lok Sabha constituency, as the party candidate in the next parliamentary polls. RP Sharma has already drawn flak after the arrest of his daughter Pallabi Sharma, who served as a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), on charges of being involved in the cash-for-job scam of the Assam Public Service Commission.

Bhanu, a 1985 batch IAS officer, who originally hails from Andhra Pradesh, also served as the Additional Chief Secretary to Panchayat & Rural Development Department.

Known for his activeness and strong personality as a bureaucrat, Bhanu strongly slammed many corrupt subordinates by issuing suspension orders. He too became nightmare for political leaders and ministers while he was serving as the Additional Chief Secretary to the CM during the regime of Tarun Gogoi. He was also known as the right hand of then Chief Minister Gogoi.

He was also in charge of the Home Department.

In the video, Bhanu, while lauding the people of the State for extending cooperation during his service life, said, “I am going out of Government service from today. I have worked since 1985 and was able to do lots of good works with your cooperation.”

Hinting at joining politics, Bhanu said, “I am only retiring from Government service and not from public life. I will stay in Assam. Whatever experience I have gathered during my service period, I will try to continue to do that.”