Patna: Bhojpuri actor and singer Ritesh Pandey on Monday announced his exit from Jan Suraaj Party, drawing the curtain on a brief political stint that ended with a decisive electoral defeat in Bihar.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Pandey said he had joined the party led by political strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor as a “responsible Indian citizen” to participate in what he described as the “great festival of democracy”. While acknowledging that the election results were unfavourable, he said he had no regrets about his decision.
एक जिम्मेदार भारतीय होने के नाते और अधिकार से मैंने जन सुराज पार्टी के साथ जुड़कर लोक तंत्र के महापर्व में भाग लिया,परिणाम अनुकूल नहीं रहे पर मुझे इसका तनिक भी अफसोस नहीं है क्यों की मैंने अपना काम ईमानदारी से किया
खैर-अब उसी काम के माध्यम से आप सभी का सेवा जारी रखना है जिससे आप…— Ritesh Pandey (@riteshpandeyrp) January 12, 2026
“Now, I want to continue serving you all through the same work that has brought me, a humble boy from a farmer’s family, so much love, affection, and respect,” Pandey wrote. “It is very difficult to do this while being an active member of a political party. Therefore, today I am resigning from the membership of the Jan Suraaj Party.”
Pandey’s political debut came during the Bihar assembly elections, when he contested from the Kargahar seat in Rohtas. He, along with other Jan Suraaj candidates, failed to make an impact at the polls.
Born in Sasaram, Pandey’s rise to fame reflects a familiar Bihar story of aspiration and reinvention. His parents had hoped he would become a doctor, and after scoring 72% in his intermediate examinations, he was expected to move to Kota to prepare for medical entrance tests. Instead, he chose music.
His early years were marked by struggle, performing at small-town functions in Varanasi after his family relocated there due to financial difficulties. With limited industry backing, Pandey promoted his work himself, travelling across towns on a motorcycle to distribute pen drives of his songs to music shops.
That perseverance paid off with Hello Kaun, a song that blended humour, romance and everyday street language, turning into a viral hit and a cultural marker across the Hindi heartland. The track propelled Pandey into the Bhojpuri mainstream, making him a household name.
