Piyush Pandey, adman who helped craft BJP’s ‘Abki baar Modi sarkar’ campaign, dies at 70

Advertising professional Piyush Pandey, credited for shaping the Bharatiya Janata Party’s 2014 election campaign with the slogan “Ab Ki Baar Modi Sarkar”, died on Friday. He was 70.

Pandey, who was the worldwide chief creative officer and executive chairman India of New York-based advertising company Ogilvy, was suffering from an infection, reported NDTV.

Along with notable advertisements for companies such as Asian Paints, Cadbury’s and Pidilite, Pandey also created prominent social advertising campaigns, including for polio eradication with actor Amitabh Bachchan.

He also wrote the lyrics for the song “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara”, a 1988 national integration campaign highlighting India’s diversity.

In the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Pandey was involved in creating ads for the BJP. In addition to “Abki Baar Modi Sarkar”, Pandey also wrote the slogan “Janta Maaf Nahi Karegi”.

Pandey was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour, in 2016. This made him the first advertising professional to receive the award.

Before joining the advertisement industry in 1982, Pandey played the Ranji Trophy, a domestic first-class cricket championship, for Rajasthan and worked as a tea taster.

In 2004, he became the first Asian to serve as jury president at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

He and his brother Prasoon Pandey in 2018 became the first Asians to receive the Lion of St...

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