A 1983 batch IPS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, Rina Mitra, is one of the 12 contenders shortlisted for the vacant position of CBI director, reports The Telegraph.

A final decision on the new CBI chief will be made by a selection committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 January.

If Mitra gets approved for the designation, she would be the first female director in the CBI’s history; her strengths are having a clean image, being non-controversial, and having had a previous stint at the CBI for five years as a superintendent.

As per The Hindu, she has also served at the Madhya Pradesh State Vigilance Commission for a long time, dealing with high-level cases of corruption. Mitra was the head of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau in its early years, leading the fight against organised wildlife crime.

But Mitra will face stiff competition from others who are seen as favourites for the top post. Gujarat Director General of Police Shivanand Jha and National Investigation Agency (NIA) Director-General Y C Modi are both seen as strong contenders and have been close to Modi since his days as chief minister of Gujarat.

However, the government could in an unprecedented move choose Mitra as the next CBI director as they had previously done with Nirmala Sitharaman as the first Defence Minister.