Former Gopalganj MP Kali Pandey dies, Had a 'Robin Hood' image, Shahabuddin considered him his guru

Gopalganj, former MP Kali Prasad Pandey, who had a special identity in Bihar politics, died on Friday at Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. He was ill for a long time. His death has ended an era of Bihar politics, because his personality was not limited to just a politician. He was known for his "Robin Hood" image and strong hold, which was the reason why many strongmen considered him their guru.

Journey of political career

Kali Prasad Pandey's political life started in 1980 as a member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly, when he became an MLA by winning the election as an independent. His biggest and historic victory came in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections, when he contested as an independent candidate while still in jail and was elected MP from Gopalganj. This victory was special in that era, because after the martyrdom of Indira Gandhi, there was a wave in favor of Congress in the whole country. Despite this, Kali Prasad Pandey won by a huge margin. After becoming an MP, he joined the Congress party and worked with Rajiv Gandhi.

However, his political journey was not limited to Congress only. In 2003, he joined the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and worked as the party's national general secretary, spokesperson and observer of Uttar Pradesh. Just before the 2020 Bihar assembly elections, he left the LJP and returned to his 'home' Congress, from where he contested from Kuchaykot assembly seat, but he lost. His journey shows that he was a leader who did politics on his own terms.

Shahabuddin considered Kali Pandey as his guru
The relationship between Kali Prasad Pandey and Mohammad Shahabuddin was very deep. Shahabuddin, who himself was a big muscleman, considered Kali Prasad Pandey as his guru. However, when Kali Prasad Pandey became an MLA for the first time in 1980, Shahabuddin was very young at that time. Direct introduction between the two happened later, but Shahabuddin often used to mention Kali Prasad Pandey in his stories of old days. This relationship shows how big Kali Prasad Pandey was in the muscle politics of Bihar.

Controversy and 'Robin Hood' image

Kali Prasad Pandey had the image of a 'Robin Hood' in North Bihar, who used to help the poor. However, many allegations were also made against him, including the allegation of throwing a bomb at an MP in Patna. It is also said that the character of villain 'Kali Prasad' in the 1987 film 'Pratighaat' was based on him. Despite these allegations, he was popular among his supporters and had a different identity.