Ask Anand Mishra, a 2011-batch IPS officer of Assam cadre, about the value of promises and guarantees made by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and he would give a wry smile.

He wanted to serve the people by joining politics and resigned from service this January on the promise of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma that he would be inducted to the BJP at a senior position.

Hoping to contest the Lok Sabha polls from the Buxar Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar, Mishra, 42, was left in the lurch by the BJP.

He is now in the fray as an Independent, and is one contestant of whom the BJP is wary of, because he could cut enough votes to ensure the defeat of its candidate Mithilesh Tiwari.

“The Assam chief minister had promised me to get inducted into the BJP. He had guaranteed me to give an important role in the party and asked me to resign from the service. I quit the IPS on his word, but he and the BJP cheated me. I was not inducted in the party,” Mishra told reporters.

Pointing out that the BJP gives green signal to candidates to start preparations for the polls beforehand, the former IPS officer revealed to The Telegraph that it gave him the nod.

“It gave the green signal to me to start working in the area and associate myself with the party. Unfortunately, that did not happen. Its people did not let me enter the party,” Mishra said.

Assam chief minister Sarma visited Buxar to canvas for the party candidate last week and accused Mishra of being an agent of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and being funded by its president Lalu Prasad to contest the polls.

Sarma also appealed to Mishra not to disturb the BJP and again promised that he would take him to Assam after the polls so that he could work there and live happily. However, the former IPS has learnt his lesson the hard way.

“It was a political statement by Sarma and I take it as a positive certification when he asks from where I got money to contest the polls. It means that I did not make money (through corruption). He gave me a certificate for my integrity,” Mishra said.

“He (Sarma) stated that I had told him back there that I would work for the BJP and alleged that I was working for the RJD. Had I not asked him to induct me into the BJP? Why did not he get me into the BJP? I sought his help, but he refused on the ground that he would not interfere in Bihar politics and suggested that I should talk to the party leaders here. I did so, but they did not induct me,” Mishra said.

Expressing surprise that Sarma could not get him inducted into the BJP, Mishra said that he was disillusioned.

“Mera bhram toot gaya (I was disillusioned). I used to think that he (Sarma) was a big leader, but I don’t know what he is if he cannot get a person inducted into the BJP. Getting me a ticket was a far-fetched thing for him. He told me he did not want to interfere in Bihar politics, but then why did he come to canvas here and say such distasteful things about me. This is not done. He is a leader of stature and I think he was misguided by the BJP candidate from here,” Mishra said.

The former IPS is now campaigning with the help of contributions being provided by his friends, neighbours, villagers and other people of Buxar. He pointed out that actual campaigns involve less money than expected, if the candidate has no intention of bribing the voters.

Better known for his no-nonsense policing in Assam, Mishra said that he started thinking of making a switch somewhere around 2017 while he was engaged in operations in the jungle areas of the state, and saw bloodshed all around.

He wanted to work for the people, do some creative work. He had plans, but nothing specific for Bihar. And then the turning point came in a tragic way. His mother passed away.

Asserting that he was going to win the poll, Mishra is campaigning intensively in the last few days before the polls. His entry has turned the Buxar contest triangular and he is now pitted against BJP’s Tiwari and RJD’s Sudhakar Singh.

Though he is fighting to win, many people in Buxar feel that he will attract a large chunk of pro-BJP votes, especially those of the Brahmins, who form the largest group of voters in the constituency. This could lead to the defeat of Tiwari.