Former Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey took VRS last month and joined the ruling Janata Dal (United), triggering speculation that he will contest the Assembly elections. It was speculated that Pandey will enter the fray from the Buxar seat. Buxar is Pandey's hometown where he enjoys sizeable support.
But his dream of contesting elections from Buxar took a hit when the Buxar seat went to the BJP's quota in the seat-sharing pact between the BJP and the JD(U). The JD(U) has already declared the list of 115 candidates, meaning the chances of Pandey getting a ticket is nil.
The BJP has now announced the name of the candidate who will contest elections from Buxar in the south Bihar. The party has given a ticket to Parshuram Chaturvedi from here.
Pandey had in 2009 taken premature retirement to contest the Lok Sabha elections. But the state government did not accept his VRS application and reinstated him in the service. Pandey, a 1987-batch IPS officer, had made the headlines recently for his comments on the Mumbai Police’s investigation in actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case. He had also lashed out at actor Rhea Chakraborty saying she didn’t have the ‘stature’ to comment on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Pandey, 59, was born in Geruabandh village of Buxar district. An alumnus of Patna University, Pandey cleared the UPSC and joined the Indian Police Service in 1987. He had previously served as SP in several districts. He is known for taking initiatives to make police people-friendly.
The three-phase elections in Bihar will take place between October 28 and November 7. The first phase on October 28 will cover 71 seats, and the second phase on November 3 will see polling taking place across 94 seats. The third and final phase on November 7 will include the remaining 78 seats. The counting of votes will take place on November 10.
