The former top cop, 66-year-old H.D. Safwi, an avid reader, who also loves his golf, was handpicked by Mamata Banerjee for the Assembly elections to contest from Uluberia East constituency in Howrah.
Significantly, Mr Safwi, a 1967-batch IPS cadre, had served the CPI(M)-led Left Front government at its prime on various important assignments before retiring as the director-general of police of the West Bengal fire services department in 2005.
Mr Safwi was also one of the top sleuth of the Kolkata police. While serving, Mr Safwi had his brush with the Trinamul supremo, who had relentlessly spearheading her battle against the reds.