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Chandigarh: Himachal Pradesh’s former Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Jai Prakash Singh has defended his decision to take voluntary retirement from the police service to contest the Bihar Assembly elections, despite suffering a massive defeat and forfeiting his deposit. Singh said that “loss and victory are part of the game” and maintained that he does not regret stepping into electoral politics.
Singh, a 2000-batch IPS officer, was promoted to the rank of ADGP on January 31, 2025. Seeking a political breakthrough, he opted for voluntary retirement (VRS) just five months later in July — two years ahead of his scheduled superannuation on July 31, 2027. Singh hails from Ward No. 8, Teghra, in Bihar’s Saran district.
Armed with a ticket from Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), Singh contested the Chapra Assembly constituency, which went to the polls in the first phase of the Bihar election. However, his debut in politics proved to be a setback: Singh managed to secure only 3,433 votes, finishing fourth among 10 candidates, and losing by a staggering 83,412 votes.
Singh said the NDA alliance’s messaging played a crucial role in swaying voters, “The NDA alliance convinced voters that supporting the JSP would only benefit the RJD, which was once responsible for the jungle raj in Bihar. Besides this, the transfer of ₹10,000 to women voters, the announcement of 125 units of free electricity and other schemes also benefited the NDA.”
Singh, who earlier served as a Major in the Indian Army before joining the civil services, emphasised that his career choices have always been driven by conviction. I was commissioned in the Army. I began preparing for the civil services after resigning from the post of Major. I never regret my decisions, whatever lies ahead,” he said.
The Chapra seat was won by BJP candidate Chhoti Kumari, who secured 86,845 votes. RJD’s Shatrughan Yadav came second with 79,245 votes, while independent candidate Rakhi Gupta finished third with 11,488 votes. According to Singh’s election affidavit, he owns approximately ₹2.18 crore worth of movable assets and ₹2.72 crore worth of immovable property.
