Patna: Former MLA and controversial figure Sunil Pandey officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday, marking a significant shift in Bihar’s political landscape. The BJP’s state president, Dilip Jaiswal, welcomed Pandey into the party, extending membership not only to him but also to his son, Vishal Prashant. This move comes after Pandey’s previous association with the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), where he aligned himself with Pashupati Kumar Paras.
Pandey, who once threatened to shoot Patna’s Additional Superintendent of Police in 2006, was subsequently ousted from his then-party by Bihar’s Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar. Despite his criminal history, which includes allegations of murder, robbery, and kidnapping during the Lalu-Rabri era, BJP’s Dilip Jaiswal now describes him as a “respected member” of the party.
Narendra Pandey, widely known as Sunil Pandey, has long been a controversial figure in Bihar’s politics. His name has been associated with numerous criminal cases, including accusations of using mobile phones while incarcerated and manipulating his status as a patient in the prison ward to further his business interests. Despite his checkered past, Pandey maintained considerable influence, particularly in the regions of Ara, Bhojpur, Buxar, and even Varanasi during the 1990s.
Pandey’s political career began in 2000 when he won the Piro assembly seat as a candidate of the Samata Party, defeating the RJD’s Kashinath. Notably, he was on the run during this period and was arrested by police when he appeared for his oath-taking ceremony. His loyalty to Nitish Kumar’s short-lived seven-day government that year helped solidify his standing among Bihar’s strongmen.
Twice elected as an MLA in 2005, Pandey’s career took a downturn in 2006 after his inflammatory comments about the Nitish government and its treatment of another strongman, former MP Anand Mohan. Pandey’s public statement, in which he claimed he would have shot the ASP if treated similarly, led to his expulsion from the Janata Dal (United) by Nitish Kumar.
In 2010, despite his prior expulsion, Nitish Kumar granted Pandey a JDU ticket, which he successfully converted into an electoral victory. However, his political influence waned after the 2012 arrest of his brother, Hulas Pandey, in connection with the murder of Brahmeshwar Mukhiya. Disillusioned with the JDU, Pandey joined the LJP in 2014, though he was denied a ticket in the 2015 elections. Despite this setback, he fielded his wife as a candidate from the Tarari assembly seat, where she narrowly lost by 272 votes. The subsequent 2020 elections also saw Pandey left without a ticket.
