Former Raipur collector Om Prakash Choudhary, who resigned on August 25 saying he wanted to devote more time for the development of the country, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday.

Choudhary, an IAS officer of the 2005 batch, announced on Twitter that he joined the saffron party in the presence of BJP chief Amit Shah and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh.

The Centre accepted the 37-year-old IAS officer’s resignation on Saturday, The New Indian Express reported, adding that he had sent it to the Department of Personnel and Training on August 16.

Choudhary rose to prominence after setting up a centre for tribals called “Education City” in Maoist-affected Dantewada district in south Bastar when he was the collector there. Choudhary is seen as a great motivator and a youth icon, according to reports.

The Bharatiya Janata Party may field him from the Kharisa Assembly seat in Raigarh, according to reports. Kharisa is considered a Congress bastion.