As Mumbai Police Commissioner Ahmed Javed (IPS:1980:MH) readies himself to take charge as India's next Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, senior IPS officers have started contending for the post. Indianmandarins has learnt that of the many in the race, three names are up for serious consideration. They are Subodh Jaiswal (IPS:1985:MH), Sanjay S Barve (IPS:1987:MH) and K K Pathak (IPS:1983:MH). Jaiswal, who previously served as Joint Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, is set to complete his central deputation. Sanjay S Barve is son of the soil and is said to be close to the state government. Although he was interrogated by CBI in connection with Adarsh Scam, he also earned President's award for his handling of Ramabai Nagar case. In terms of seniority, Pathak is top on the list, but he has only three months of service left as he will retire on March 31, 2016. His two-and-a-half year tenure as Nagpur CP and further as Pune CP is said to have brought him close to CM Phadanvis, whose home town is Nagpur.