As expected for the last several weeks, Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) Gupteshwar Pandey has finally taken voluntary retirement from service and is all set to plunge into politics.

There are speculation that Pandey will join the Janata Dal(U) and contest either the Assembly elections or Lok Sabha bypoll from Valmikinagar in north Bihar.

Pandey’s request seeking voluntary retirement was approved by Governor Phagu Chauhan, a notification issued by the State Home Department said.

Speaking to mediapersons on Wednesday, Pandey said, “I have not joined any political party as of now. If I do, I will tell you about it. As far as social work is concerned, I can do it without entering politics as well.”

He added, “I have worked for 34 years with honesty and without bias, and now people are questioning me. I want to tell them that I was devoted to my duty.”

The Shiv Sena has slammed Pandey for “running a political agenda” over the Sushant Singh Rajput case.

 “The party which makes him a candidate will not be trusted by the people. The agenda behind his ‘rajkiya taandav’ over Maharashtra is clear now. He was running a political agenda with his statements over Mumbai case and he is going to receive his reward,” Raut told ANI.

Congress spokesperson Ragini Nayak tweeted that Pandey’s purported political ambitions were similar to that of former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi who was nominated to the Rajya Sabha soon after his retirement.

Pandey has recently been in the headlines for his stout defence of the Nitish Kumar administration when it was under attack from the Shiv Sena-led Government in Maharashtra over Bihar Police’s probe into the death of Rajput.

With the intention of contesting the Lok Sabha polls, Pandey opted for voluntary retirement in  2009 also. However, he didn’t get the BJP ticket at the eleventh hour from Buxar. Later, Pandey requested the Bihar Government to allow him to withdraw his resignation.