LUCKNOW, July 15 -- With Lucknow police commissioner Amrendra Singh Sengar poised for elevation to the rank of director-general (D-G), the Uttar Pradesh government has initiated the search for his successor. Several additional director general (ADG)-rank IPS officers have already emerged as frontrunners for the coveted post, official sources revealed on Tuesday. According to officials in the police establishment, Sengar's promotion is likely to be cleared this week after an early vacancy arose for the D-G rank following the Centre's appointment of D-G (fire services) Sujeet Pandey as director of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad. Sources in the home department said the government is expected to issue orders appointing the new police commissioner within a day or two of Sengar's promotion, ensuring continuity in the command of the state's largest police commissionerate. The race for the post is understood to be restricted largely to ADG-rank IPS officers belonging to the 1996 to 2002 batches, who meet the seniority criteria for heading the Lucknow Commissionerate. Among the officers whose names are doing the rounds in the corridors of power are senior ADGs currently heading key wings of the Uttar Pradesh Police, including law and order, intelligence, technical services, training and zonal policing. Officials cautioned, however, that the final decision would rest with the chief minister and could also factor in the officer's field experience, familiarity with commissionerate policing, administrative record and current organisational requirements.htc...