Lucknow: It’s a long way from the red tape of the Lucknow Secretariat to the red carpet at Cannes. But former IAS officer Abhishek Singh has made the leap. And now, he’s gearing up for his next stop.
This week, the front pages of Hindi newspapers in Uttar Pradesh were flooded with an advertisement featuring Singh at the Cannes Film Festival for his film 1946: Direct Action Day, triggering speculation in Uttar Pradesh’s political and bureaucratic corridors that he was preparing to enter the political fray from Jaunpur.
The 42-year-old accepts that he is planning to take the political plunge, but doesn’t say when or with which party.
“The image of politicians in Purvanchal is very different from my personality. I want to change the perception that only a muscleman image or a person with a specific caste can do politics there,” Singh told ThePrint. “Now, time is changing; people are giving a chance to new politicians also. Though I am not in a hurry, for sure I will enter politics.”
But for now, he’s focused on his acting career.
Singh, who hails from Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur district, claims he’s the first former Indian civil servant to walk the prestigious red carpet at Cannes, where his film premiered.
Singh plays the lead character along with actress Raima Sen in the historical political drama that delves into one of the most turbulent chapters of pre-Independence India.
How did he make the leap to the world of cinema?
“After deciding to enter into cinema, I was trying to meet film directors and producers on a regular basis. Last year, I went to meet famous film producer Ram Gopal Verma, where I met Vivek Kuchibhotla, a co-producer of this movie. He introduced me to the producer T.G. Vishwa Prasad, who took my look test,” he said.
“Once they found me suitable for the role, they offered me to work with them,” he added. “This movie reveals an important chapter of our history, which wasn’t talked about much.”
Singh made his acting debut with a short film, Char Pandrah, in 2020. He also played a role in the Netflix series Delhi Crime Season 2.
The 2011 batch’s former office is quite popular on social media, with almost 5 million followers on Instagram. He has featured in several music videos for singers B Praak and Badshah, and also shot a music video with actress Sunny Leone.
Entering Purvanchal politics
While Singh might be focused on his movie at the moment, he’s also working on his political plans.
He has a team of volunteers organising awareness camps for government schemes and reaching out to weaker sections for their help.
Singh was reluctant to share which party he wanted to join. But according to sources in the Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Singh had contacted some top party leaders for a Lok Sabha ticket in the 2024 elections.
However, by then, the party had decided to field former Congress leader and former Maharashtra minister Kripahankar Singh from the Jaunpur Lok Sabha seat.
Singh’s close aides in Jaunpur claim that although a section of local BJP leaders were expecting a former IAS officer to enter the party, Singh doesn’t want to close the door on opposition parties either.
Now, Singh is focusing on the 2027 assembly polls.
Until then, he’s busy mobilising support among people.
Last year, he hit headlines when he launched a free bus service from Jaunpur to Ayodhya for people visiting the newly constructed Ram Janmabhoomi Temple.
He also organised volunteer camps to help residents get Ayushman Vay Vandana cards for the government’s free healthcare scheme in the villages of Jaunpur.
He even launched a campaign called ‘Jaunpur Seva Star’, rewarding those who helped the maximum number of people get PM-JAY cards with daily prizes.
As he gears up for his political debut, Singh also organised an event to celebrate Holi and Eid together.
Ups and downs in bureaucratic career
Singh’s bureaucratic career went through many ups and downs.
In 2015, he went on deputation with the Delhi government for three years. In 2018, the deputation was extended for two years, but during this time, he also went on medical leave.
The Delhi government later sent him back to his parent cadre, Uttar Pradesh, on 19 March 2020. He joined Uttar Pradesh on 30 June 2022, but within a few months, he was embroiled in controversy.
In November 2022, Singh was in the news after he was removed from the post of general observer during the Gujarat assembly elections for posting pictures of himself with his official vehicle on social media.
According to media reports, Singh was relieved of his duties as general observer and was barred from any election-related duty until further orders.
In February 2023, the Yogi government suspended him for going on leave without official sanction. Later, when the suspension was revoked, he resigned in October of the same year.
According to Uttar Pradesh government sources, Singh’s resignation was accepted in February 2024.
Family background
Singh’s wife, Durga Shakti Nagpal, is a 2010 batch IAS officer and currently a district magistrate in Lakhimpur Kheri. She came into the limelight in 2012 after launching a massive drive against corruption and illegal sand mining within her jurisdiction of Gautam Budh Nagar as joint magistrate.
But in July 2013, she was suspended by the state’s Akhilesh Yadav-led government for allegedly demolishing a mosque wall in Jewar (Greater Noida), which led to severe opposition, as it was perceived to be based on flimsy grounds.
Following growing demands from various political parties and activists on social media, the government revoked her suspension and transferred her to Kanpur.
According to close aides, Singh and Durga met during UPSC preparations in Delhi. Durga was allotted the Punjab cadre after getting selected in the UPSC in 2010. But after getting married in 2012, she was transferred to the Uttar Pradesh cadre.
Singh’s father, Kripa Shanker Singh, is a retired IPS officer.
Singh says he shuttles between three different places: Mumbai, Jaunpur and wherever his wife is posted. Wherever he may be, the former bureaucrat is rarely far from the spotlight.
The question many are asking is: when will Singh take the political plunge?
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
Also Read: Who is Sanjay Prasad, Yogi’s data man, tech-savvy taskmaster & UP’s most powerful IAS officer today
