Ex-Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Anand Mishra, whose videos had gone viral on social media for his unique style, effective policing, firebrand operations, and long bike rides, has won the Bihar assembly elections from Buxar.
Mishra, a 2011-batch officer who served in Assam and Meghalaya, including a notable tenure in the Garo Hills, contested on a BJP ticket and defeated Congress candidate Sanjay Kumar Tiwari by a margin of over 28,000 votes.
In Meghalaya, Mishra had played an important role in operations against militants. He also took a lead role in operations against militants in Assam's Charaideo district.
Mishra is credited with huge success in anti-narcotics operations in Assam's Lakhimpur and Dhubri districts.
Born on June 1, 1981, in Bihar's Bhojpur, he served as Superintendent of Police in several districts of Assam, where he quickly gained popularity for his policing style and community outreach work.
He quit as the IPS officer in January 2024 to go back to Bihar and pursue a political career.
He had initially joined former poll strategist Prashant Kishore's Jan Suraaj Party but switched to the BJP in August.
Sources said he has a very close link with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). When posted in the BJP-ruled Assam, Mishra was publicly seen with several RSS leaders.
He also holds a black belt in martial arts.
Buxar is also a big win for the political debutant. The constituency is historically a Congress stronghold and has elected the party 10 times out of 17 elections since the constituency's creation in 1951.
The BJP has won the seat only three times previously, while regional parties like the CPM have recorded occasional victories.
