Murder Accused JDU 'Bahubali' Anant Singh Secures Landslide Victory in Bihar's Mokama Assembly Seat Despite Legal Troubles

Janata Dal United (JDU) candidate and political strongman Anant Singh has secured victory in the Mokama constituency of Patna during the Bihar assembly elections 2025. He defeated his main competitor, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate Veena Devi, by a significant margin of approximately 30,000 votes. Veena Devi is the spouse of Surajbhan Singh, who is considered Anant Singh's rival 'bahubali'.

Currently incarcerated following his arrest in a murder case involving a Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) supporter, Anant Singh's legal troubles did not impede his electoral success. The JSP candidate Priyadarshi Piyush emerged as the third strongest contender in the Mokama race behind Singh and Devi.

In anticipation of his release, supporters have displayed posters throughout his constituency with slogans stating, "Jail ka faatak tootega, hamara sher chootega" (The prison gates will break, our lion will be released). His supporters have begun celebration preparations, with early morning scenes showing substantial quantities of sweets and food being prepared in tents erected outside his residence.

Anant Singh, a five-time winner of the Mokama seat, began his assembly career in 2005. He successfully retained his seat in 2010 while representing JDU but departed from the party five years later. In 2015, he contested as an Independent candidate and defeated the JDU nominee. Before the 2020 election, he aligned with the RJD and again secured his seat.

With 28 criminal cases registered against him, Singh lost his Assembly membership in 2022 after being convicted in an arms case. His wife, Neelam Devi, subsequently contested the bye-election and maintained the family's hold on Mokama.

Anant Singh's arrest on November 2 was related to the murder of Dular Singh Yadav, a gangster who had transitioned to politics. Yadav was killed while campaigning for Priyadarshi Piyush, who is contesting on a ticket from Prashant Kishor's JSP.

During a confrontation between Yadav's supporters and Singh's associates, Yadav was reportedly shot in the leg. However, this injury was not the direct cause of death. According to the post-mortem report, Yadav died from cardiorespiratory failure resulting from shock caused by injuries to the heart and lungs inflicted by a hard and blunt object.