Sameer Pandey | |
|---|---|
| Lord Mayor of Parramatta | |
| In office 22 May 2023 – 25 September 2023 | |
| Deputy | Cameron MacLean |
| Preceded by | Donna Davis |
| Succeeded by | Pierre Esber |
| City of Parramatta Councillor for Parramatta Ward | |
| Assumed office 9 September 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Ward created |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jamshedpur, India |
| Nationality | Indian-Australian |
| Political party | Labor |
| Occupation | Politician |
Sameer Pandey is an Australian politician. He has been Labor Councillor on Parramatta City Council since 2017, was Lord Mayor for four months in 2023 following the resignation of Donna Davis.[1]
Early life
Pandey was born in Jamshedpur, a north-eastern city in Jharkhand, India.[2] He emigrated to Australia in 1998 for his studies, and returned in 2003 as an IT specialist and engineer.[2]
Political career
Pandey was elected to Parramatta City Council in 2017 representing its Parramatta Ward with 1.2 quotas.[3] He was returned at the 2021 Local Government Elections with an increased quota of 1.65.[4] At this same election Labor secured a working majority and Pandey was elected Deputy Lord Mayor to then-Lord Mayor Donna Davis.
In 2023 Pandey was pre-selected in a rank-and-file ballot with 53% of the vote to contest the new seat of Winston Hills at the NSW State Election.[5] He was unsuccessful, though won 48.2% of the two-party preferred vote, representing a 3.9% swing to Labor.
Following the election of then-Lord Mayor Donna Davis to the NSW Legislative Assembly representing Parramatta she resigned from the Lord Mayorship effective 22 May.[6] An 'Extraordinary Meeting of Council' was held, and Pandey was elected 7 votes to 6.[5] He is the first Lord Mayor in Australian history to be born in India.[5]
On his first day as Lord Mayor, Pandey welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Parramatta for his rally at Qudos Bank Arena.[5]
In September 2023 after serving only four months, Pandey was removed following a leadership spill in the Labor caucus which saw the popular then-Lord Mayor replaced by Pierre Esber as candidate. In the subsequent council vote, Esber prevailed 9 votes (including Pandey) to 6. The move to replace Pandey was criticised as a "senseless act with no political outcome that is beneficial to the Labor Party".[7]
References
- ↑ "Councillor Sameer Pandey elected new Lord Mayor of Parramatta | City of Parramatta". City of Parramatta. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- 1 2 "Jamshedpur born Sameer Pandey elected Lord Mayor of Australia's Parramatta city". The Avenue Mail. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ↑ "City of Parramatta - Parramatta Ward Councillor Contest". pastvtr.elections.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ↑ "City of Parramatta Councillor Election". pastvtr.elections.nsw.gov.au. 21 December 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 Vella, Joanne (28 November 2022). "Winston Hills state election: Sameer Pandey wins Labor preselection". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ↑ "Lord Mayor Donna Davis - statement". Mirage News. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ↑ Segaert, Anthony (25 September 2023). "In the morning, Parramatta's mayor opened the city's new pool. By dinner, he was gone". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 November 2023.