Former Bihar Director General of Police Gupteshwar Pandey on Sunday joined the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) party, five days after he announced his voluntary retirement from the force, reported ANI.

“I was called by the chief minister himself and asked to join,” Pandey told ANI. “Whatever the party asks me to do, I will do. I do not understand politics. I am a simple person who has spent his time working for the downtrodden section of society.”

A ceremony took place at Kumar’s official residence in the presence of several other party leaders.

Last week, several media reports speculated on Pandey’s bid to contest the upcoming Assembly elections in the state. Bihar will vote in three phases between October 28 and November 7. The results will be announced on November 10.

Pandey, who was involved in the investigation into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, recently courted a controversy over his sexist remarks about actor Rhea Chakraborty, a key accused in the case.

Pandey is a 1987 batch Indian Police Service officer. He was appointed the Bihar director general of police in February last year out of 12 IPS officers recommended by the state government to the Union Public Service Commission

After the Supreme Court in August held the FIR filed against Chakraborty in Patna was lawful and upheld CBI investigation in the case, Pandey had made misogynistic remarks against the actor and said she did not have the “aukat” or stature to comment on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Chakraborty had accused the Bihar government of politicising Rajput’s death.

However, Pandey had last week again clarified that his decision to step down had nothing to do with the investigation into Rajput’s death. He defended his statement about Chakraborty and claimed he meant that an actor, who is an accused in the case, has no right to pass comments on a chief minister.