In a unique turn of events, a policeman from Chhattisgarh has floated his political party and plans to field candidates in all 90 constituencies for the upcoming assembly elections in the state. Constable Ujjawal Diwan, stationed in Dhamtari district, has been leading protests of cops’ families to press for their various demands since 2018. He claims that several other cops have joined his cause after quitting their jobs and the party has also received support from victimized police personnel, those who have been unilaterally expelled from service or have taken voluntary retirement.
However, Diwan faced challenges in registering a new political party and decided to take over the already registered Azad Janata Party. The constable said he tendered his resignation this year, but the department is yet to accept it, and he can contest the election only after his resignation is accepted. Sanjeev Mishra, a suspended police constable who has been appointed as the state spokesperson of the party, said they will field candidates in all constituencies for the upcoming assembly elections.
They will use crowdfunding to arrange resources to run the party. Diwan claims to have the support of over 80,000 families of policemen and 4.5 lakh contractual employees working in state government departments. The families of policemen from the lower ranks from different parts of the state have staged several protests in the last five years over their demands, including higher salaries, weekly offs, government quarters for all jawans, and response allowance.
