UP Assembly Polls 2022: Ex-IPS Officer Asim Arun Joins BJP, Likely To Contest From Samajwadi Party Bastion Kannauj

The 51-year-old Asim Arun is IPS officer of the 1994 batch. He has served as an additional director general of police (ADGP)-rank officer, and has previously helmed the state's Anti-Terrorist Squad, the 112 services besides leading the police force in districts like Aligarh, Gorakhpur and Agra.

Lucknow: Weeks before the commencement of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, former IPS officer Asim Arun joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday in the presence of Union Minister Anurag Thakur and other party leaders. Former Kanpur Police Commissioner Arun had applied for pre-mature retirement from the service of the Uttar Pradesh government on January 8. His request was approved on January 10.

Welcoming Asim Arun to the party, Anurag Thakur said, “A person who is experienced, honest and is ideal for the youngsters are joining the BJP today. I welcome Asim Arun.” The Union Minister said BJP will move forward with the experience of the former bureaucrat and called for more youth participation in the saffron party.

The Minister also took a dig at Samajwadi party of the occassion, and said, “People joining SP do riots, people joining BJP catch rioters. SP MLAs are either in jail or on bail, that’s their original game. It’s clear people with clean characters join BJP, and rioters including many with blood-covered hands join SP,” said Thakur

#WATCH| People joining SP do riots, people joining BJP catch rioters. SP MLAs are either in jail or on bail, that's their original game. It's clear people with clean characters join BJP, & rioters including many with blood-covered hands join SP: Union Min Anurag Thakur in Lucknow pic.twitter.com/ceMHG9Wx9z

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) January 16, 2022

Arun, while joining the party expressed his happiness and said, “I am happy, satisfied, I have got a chance to serve the public. This decision was not easy for me as on one side there was a job, on the other hand, there was an opportunity for public service.”

Arun, whose father, late Sriram Arun served as UP DGP, is speculated to be fielded by the BJP from Kannauj (Sadar) assembly seat. Kannauj is considered a Samajwadi Party bastion, with the Akhilesh Yadav-led party having won the last three elections there.

Who is Asim Arun?

The 51-year-old Arun is IPS officer of the 1994 batch. He has served as an additional director general of police (ADGP)-rank officer, and has previously helmed the state’s Anti-Terrorist Squad, the 112 services besides leading the police force in districts like Aligarh, Gorakhpur and Agra. During central deputation, Arun had served in the core protection team of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Special Protection Group (SPG) and earlier got trained in policing in Kosovo in Europe in 2002-03.

Arun had taken to social media to announce his VRS on January 8, within hours of the announcement for assembly elections in UP, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand. In a Facebook post had thanked Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for considering him for the membership of the BJP and also wrote that he would try to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to incorporate people from different fields in the party.

Samajwadi Party’s reaction

When asked for a comment on the matter, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav said he will approach Election Commission to complain about a ‘government official’ Arun, who served the goverment in past five years, joining BJP. The Samajwadi Party leader also hinted at collusion between the official and government for political gain.

#WATCH | I will complain to the Election Commission to remove all officials who joined BJP with Asim Arun… Questions will arise on the EC if it doesn't probe the matter; we won't believe the EC is working fairly: SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, on ex-IPS officer Asim Arun joining BJP pic.twitter.com/wozDyOpDZK

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) January 16, 2022

“I will complain to the Election Commission to remove all officials who joined BJP with Asim Arun… Questions will arise on the EC if it doesn’t probe the matter; we won’t believe the EC is working fairly,” said Yadav. Akhileash was addressing media after induction of former UP Minister and BJP leader Dara Singh Chauhan into Samajwadi Party.

Assembly Polls In UP

Meanwhile, BJP released its first list of 107 candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh in which it denied tickets to 20 sitting MLAs and fielded 21 new candidates. The party has released the list for the first and second phase of elections scheduled to be held on February 10 and 14.

Keeping the caste arithmetic balance and for gaining voters, BJP has fielded women on 10 seats, OBC candidates on 44 seats and scheduled castes (SC) candidates from 19 seats, accounting for 60 per cent of the total.

Elections for the 403 assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases starting February 10.The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and 7 in seven phases. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)