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Mokama bypoll: A proxy battle between two Bhumihar strongmen

Bypolls in Bihar to be the first electoral test for Nitish Kumar since he switched alliances.

RJD MLA from Mokama, Anant Singh leaves from the court after he was convicted in the AK-47 and hand grenade recovery case, in Patna. (PTI)

Mokama, a Bhumihar stronghold in Bihar, will witness a neck-and-neck fight in the forthcoming bypoll on November 3 between two strongmen, four-time MLA from the seat Anant Singh, popularly known as ‘Chhote Sarkar’, and Nalini Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, both hailing from the community.

Although neither leader is contesting the bypoll on his own, they have ensured a proxy battle by getting their wives to fight for the seat, which fell vacant after Anant Singh, the sitting MLA, was dismissed due to a conviction in a criminal case. RJD has fielded Singh’s wife Neelam Devi, while the BJP has given the ticket to Sonam Devi, the wife of Lalan Singh.

Gopalganj too will witness a bypoll on the same date. It was necessitated due to the death of sitting BJP MLA Subhash Singh.

The Mokama and Gopalganj bypolls will be the first electoral test for Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, who switched sides with his pre-poll alliance partner BJP but retained power with the support of the RJD.

The Bhumihar fight

Seven people have filed nominations for Mokama, which comes under the Munger Lok Sabha constituency. All the main contenders for the election hail from the Bhumihar community, prominent in the region.

Anant Singh, a Bhumihar, started his political career with the JD(U) and was elected as the MLA on its ticket twice, while he also has won the seat once as an independent candidate and under the RJD banner in 2020. After his disqualification, Anant’s wife Neelam Devi appears confident of retaining the seat for the RJD.

The last time the BJP had entered the fray on its own in this seat was in 1995, when it was not a force to reckon with in Bihar. Anant’s elder brother Dilip Singh had won the seat more than once in the 1990s and served as a minister in the governments of Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi. ‘Chhote Sarkar’ then won twice for JD(U), until he parted ways with Nitish Kumar in 2015, when he retained his constituency as an Independent.

Lalan Singh has been a thorn on Anant’s side for a long time. The Bhumihar strongmen faced off for the first time over the Mokama seat in 2005. Although the former lost to ‘Chhote Sarkar’ by a thin margin of 2,000 votes, he didn’t give up. In 2010, his wife Sonam Devi, contesting on LJP’s ticket, also gave a tough competition to the Mokama Bahubali, but lost.

This time, Lalan hopes to take advantage of his long association with former Mokama MLA (2000-2005) and MP Surajbhan Singh to
win the Bhumihar stand-off. Surajbhan, along with his wife Veena Devi, an MP from Munger, has come out in support of Lalan and his wife.

Paswan gives Mokama a pass

LJP (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan on Monday said his party has decided not to field candidates in the upcoming bypolls to the Mokama and Gopalganj Assembly seats.

However, Paswan clarified that the decision should not be seen as lending support to the RJD-led “Mahagathbandhan” (Grand alliance) in Bihar.

“There should not be any confusion over it. I have always opposed the policies of CM Nitish Kumar. Me and my party will not support any alliance of which Nitish Kumar is a part,” Paswan said, when asked if his party is supporting the ruling alliance in the November 3 bypolls.