Ex-Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey meets Nitish Kumar, triggers speculation about joining JDU

A day after the Election Commission of India announced the dates for upcoming Bihar assembly elections 2020, the sate’s former Director-General of Police (DGP), Gupteshwar Pandey met Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday.

PATNA: A day after the Election Commission of India announced the dates for upcoming Bihar assembly elections 2020, the state’s former Director-General of Police (DGP), Gupteshwar Pandey met Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday.

Pandey’s meeting with Kumar triggered intense speculation about his joining the ruling Janata Dal-United led by the Chief Minister. His meeting with Kumar came days after he took voluntary retirement from the state police service and triggered speculation of contesting the upcoming Bihar assembly elections.

When quizzed by reporters, Pandey said, “I came here to meet CM Nitish Kumar and to thank him as he gave me absolute freedom to serve my duties as DGP.” He added, “I have yet not taken any decision on contesting polls.”

After taking VRS, Pandey had said that he has not decided about joining politics and added that he may join if the people from his hometown Buxar ask him to do so.

Pandey, a 1987 batch IPS officer, was involved in the investigation of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death by suicide in Mumbai.

The Bihar ex-DGP came into limelight after he played a role in the Bihar Police investigation in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case, wherein he took on the Mumbai Police and the Maharashtra government for allegedly blocking the Bihar Police investigation when the team was in Mumbai. 

Pandey had alleged that Mumbai Police was not fair in investigating the late actor's death. Earlier, Pandey had taken premature retirement to contest the Lok Sabha elections in 2009, but later the state government did not accept his VRS application and reinstated him in the service. 

The Election Commission of India on Friday announced the date for the upcoming Bihar Assembly election. The 243-member legislative assembly will be held in three phases -- the first phase on October 28, the second on November 3, and the third on November 7, while the counting of votes and results declaration will be held on November 10.