Chandigarh, May 8 (IANS): Former IAS officer Parampal Kaur Sidhu, the BJP's candidate from Punjab's Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency, on Wednesday said that her resignation had been accepted by the Central government and she would not rejoin duty as per the state government's directive.

In a reply to the Punjab government, Sidhu said: "I will not rejoin the job. They (the Punjab government) can take whatever action they want. I am now retired, and my resignation has been accepted by the Central government."

"I will file my nomination soon and will contest the election," she added.

Earlier, the Central government directed the state government to accept the voluntary retirement scheme opted by Sidhu with immediate effect. On the other hand, the state had asked the IAS officer to resume duty immediately, saying she cannot be treated as "retired or relieved from service". She was also accused of giving "false grounds" for seeking retirement, while she was engaged in political activities.

In a letter to the officer, the state Department of Personnel said her three-month notice period for leaving the job had not been waived.

The 2011 batch 59-year-old IAS officer, along with her husband, joined the BJP on April 11.

The Bathinda seat has been a stronghold of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) since 1996, save in the 1999 polls. Akali Dal President Sukhbir Badal's wife and sitting MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal is in the fray again, seeking her fourth continuous victory. The Congress has announced Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu as its candidate, while the state's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded Gurmeet Singh Khudian.

In 2019, Harsimrat Kaur defeated her nearest rival, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring of the Congress, by 21,772 votes.