Bihar elections: Anant Singh leads from Mokama seat
What's the story
Janata Dal United (JDU) candidate Anant Singh is leading the race for the Mokama seat in Patna in the ongoing Bihar assembly elections. His main rival, Veena Devi of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), is currently trailing. Devi is married to Surajbhan Singh, a political rival of "bahubali" Anant Singh, NDTV reported.
Criminal record
Singh behind bars
Anant Singh is currently behind bars after his arrest in connection with the murder of a Jan Suraaj Party supporter. He has 28 criminal cases against him. Despite this, he has been a formidable force in Bihar politics, having won the Mokama seat five times since his debut in 2005.
Political career
His political journey
Singh started his political career with JDU and won the Mokama seat in 2005. However, he left the party five years later to contest as an Independent in 2015, defeating a JDU candidate. He joined RJD before the 2020 elections and again retained his seat. However, he lost his Assembly membership in 2022 after being convicted in an arms case.
Bye-election win
His wife contested the bye-election
Singh has been elected from the Mokama seat five times, but after he lost his Assembly membership in 2022, his wife Neelam Devi contested the bye-election and retained the Mokama seat. The results are still being counted as the state votes for its new assembly. Early trends at 08:45am revealed the NDA leading in 80 seats, with the Mahagathbandhan leading in 55.