Former 'Singham' Police Officers Transition to Politics in Bihar Assembly Election 2025

Anand Mishra and Shivdeep Lande, the 'singhams' of Assam and Bihar police, respectively.

Patna:

Two former police officers nicknamed 'singhams' are preparing to contest the upcoming Bihar election.

Shivdeep Lande is running as an independent candidate from Jamalpur in Munger district, while Anand Mishra represents the Bharatiya Janata Party for the Buxar seat.

These two candidates share several notable commonalities.

Both earned the nickname 'singham' (meaning 'lion') from their colleagues for their exceptional work as police officers - Lande in Bihar and Mishra in Assam.

Both have transitioned from distinguished careers in law enforcement to the political arena after resigning from their police positions.

Additionally, both candidates are married to successful businesswomen.

Shivdeep Lande, 49, hails from the Vidarbha region in Maharashtra's Akola district. Born into a farming family, he is married to Mamta Shivtare, daughter of former Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Vijay Shivtare.

A 2006-batch IPS officer with an Electrical Engineering degree, Lande previously qualified for the Indian Revenue Service. He now resides in Bankipur, a Patna suburb.

Lande resigned last year from his position as Inspector-General of Purnia district after serving as Deputy Inspector-General of Tirhut and working in Munger and Araria districts. He gained popularity during his tenure as Superintendent of Police in Patna for his firm stance against street harassment.

Following his resignation on September 19, he established the Hindu Sena party in March this year and declared his intention to participate in the Bihar election.

According to his financial declarations, Lande has no criminal cases, possesses assets worth Rs 20.74 lakh, and reports an annual income of Rs 26.8 lakh.

His wife Mamta is the family's primary wealth holder, with declared assets totaling Rs 20.5 crore. Her portfolio includes a Rs 60 lakh Land Cruiser SUV, a Rs 29 lakh Mahindra Scorpio, 100 grams of gold, and various bank investments.

She also owns two apartments - one in Mumbai's Marine Lines and another in an upscale Pune housing complex - plus 17 acres of land. Her financial obligations include Rs 2.7 crore in loans, comprising a Rs 70 lakh car loan and a Rs 2.5 crore housing loan. The couple's daughter, Arha, holds assets worth Rs 14.8 lakh.

Anand Mishra originates from Jigna in Bihar's Buxar district, though his family roots are in Bhojpur district.

His father, Paramhans Mishra, worked for Hindustan Motors in Kolkata, where Anand completed his education, earning a Political Science degree from St Xavier's College. He later obtained a Masters in Police Management from Osmania University in Hyderabad.

The 44-year-old Mishra belonged to the Assam cadre and earned recognition as an 'encounter specialist.' While stationed in Nagaon district, he took decisive action against drug trafficking networks and criminal organizations.

His achievements include receiving the President's Medal for Gallantry, the Chief Minister's Award for Exceptional Service, and the Internal Security Service Medal from the Union Home Ministry.

Mishra left the police force in January last year and contested the Lok Sabha election from Bihar. Having failed to secure a BJP ticket, he ran independently, garnering 47,000 votes in a race won by RJD's Sudhakar Singh with over 4.38 lakh votes.

Following this defeat, he briefly collaborated with poll strategist Prashant Kishore, helping establish Jan Suraaj, which will make its electoral debut in this election.

However, the motorcycle enthusiast departed from that organization in May and joined the BJP in August.

Unlike Lande, Mishra faces one legal case, filed at Gandhi Maidan Police Station in Patna for his participation in BPSC student protests.

His assets amount to Rs 2.5 crore, including Rs 60 lakh in movable assets comprising 100 grams of gold, a Royal Enfield motorcycle valued at Rs 2.51 lakh, and a house in Bengal's Hooghly district worth Rs 60 lakh.

His wife, Archana Tiwari, possesses movable assets of Rs 88.4 lakh and immovable assets of Rs 17 lakh. According to Mishra's affidavit, his projected annual income for 2024/25 is Rs 1.85 lakh, while his wife expects to earn over Rs 12 lakh.