Eight candidates, including Najeeb Jung, former joint secretary (exploration) in the petroleum ministry, are in race for the job of chairman and managing director of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation.
The candidates were shortlisted from out of over four dozen applications received for the top job of India's largest oil and natural gas exploration company, sources said.
Jung was a 1973 batch Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer, but he quit the civil service and is now serving as Director of Energy Re
search in Reliance Industries-funded Observer Research Foundation.
He is presently posted in London. Other key contenders for the post include R S Butola, Managing Director of ONGC Videsh Ltd and ONGC's acting chairman R S Sharma, who was not confirmed after being selected for the top post.
Besides, ONGC director (exploration) D K Pandey, director (onshore) A K Hazarika, director (HR) A K Balyan and director (technical services) U N Bose are in the fray and so is GAIL director (HR) M R Inglekar.