With barely a couple of months left for the retirement of director general of police (DGP) Satish Mathur, current Mumbai commissioner of police (CP) D D Padsalgikar's elevation to Mathur's post is imminent. But who would replace Padsalgikar as Mumbai's next CP? The race is already interesting, all thanks to its top-notch contenders — chief of state intelligence department (SID) Sanjay Barve, Thane CP Parambir Singh, Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) officer Subodh Jaiswal and Pune CP Rashmi Shukla. Sources in the DGP's office said the decision could be a close one as all names are eligible. Plus, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis — known for his unpredictable choices, as seen with the three-month appointment of Ahmed Javed as CP — might pick a surprise winner after all.'

Subodh Jaiswal
IPS batch: 1985
Currently: Senior R&AW officer
A big 'if' has to come before Subodh Jaiswal's name, as senior officials say he's likely to rise within the R&AW. If he decides to return to his parent cadre, he may not have a long stint, as Padsalgikar retires in August and Jaiswal will end up getting just three months, and six if Padsalgikar gets an extension. Jaiswal was the officer who probed the Telgi scam, after which he was posted as the additional commissioner of police in Mumbai's central region. Jaiswal also has a great record serving in Naxal affected areas. He has worked as Gadchiroli's SP and ATS DIG, when the agency probed the 2006 train bombings in Mumbai.