Patna: Mokama assembly constituency in Patna district is going to witness a bitter electoral rivalry as one muscleman-turned-politician Anant Singh will contest the polls in place of the incumbent MLA and his wife Neelam Devi, another ‘bahubali’ Surajbhan Singh has fielded his wife, Veena Devi, from the seat.
Mokama constituency will go to the polls in the first phase of Bihar assembly election, scheduled to be held on November 6.
The two main contenders- JD (U) nominee Anant Singh and Surajbhan Singh`s wife and RJD nominee Veena Devi- belong to politically influential upper caste Bhumihar. On the other hand, JD (U) leader Neeraj Kumar, another Bhumihar leader, has added a new flavour to the electoral battle by contending that he will not campaign for Anant Singh, showing their political rivalry. To make it more interesting, another Bhumihar leader and union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh aka Lalan Singh who represents Mokama Lok Sabha constituency, has shown his full support to Anant Singh in the past. After his release from jail recently, Anant Singh held a road show in the Barh-Mokama region and Lalan Singh accompanied him. Momaka assembly constituency is part of Munger LS constituency.
PAST PERFECT
It began with the notorious criminal Dilip Kumar Singh, alias 'Bade Sarkar,' (brother of Anant Singh) who became a Janata Dal MLA in 1990 and 1995 and also served as a minister from 1995 to 2020, when RJD chief Lalu Prasad and later his wife, Rabri Devi, were chief ministers. He was defeated by Suraj Bhan Singh in 2000. Since 2005, Anant Kumar Singh, alias 'Chhote Sarkar,' has dominated, winning five consecutive terms—three times as a JD (U) candidate, once as an independent candidate, and once as an RJD candidate. He won the 2020 election while in jail. However, after being disqualified for possessing an illegal AK-47, his wife, Neelam Devi (RJD), won the 2022 by-election.
THE USP
The politics of Mokama assembly constituency which came into existence in 1951, has been dominated by bahubali since the 1990s. The Mokama assembly constituency in all probabilities will see a bitter electoral contest, as voters may also cast their votes under the shadow of fear, apprehensive of potential repercussions due to their voting preferences.
DECODING THE FIGHT
The Mokama constituency has seen three different parties win in 2010, 2015, and 2020. With an average victory margin of 14.8 percent, voters here frequently shift loyalties, making it a highly unpredictable battleground. The poll outcome will largely depend on how much influence Anant Singh has still in the constituency when he has spent a good amount of time in jail.
DEMOGRAPHY
Rajputs- Nearly 14.3 percent
Yadavs- About 24 percent
SCs- 16.7 percent
Muslims- 2.3 percent
