PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has decided to campaign for former RJD MLA and muscleman Anant Singh a.k.a Chhote Sarkar’s wife Neelam Devi in the Mokama Assembly by-election, which is slated to be held on November 3.
It was uncertain whether Nitish will be campaigning for Anant Singh’s wife in the by-election as relations between CM and ‘Chhote Sarkar’ turned sour after the latter’s house was raided at Patna district’s Ladma village in which AK-47 rifle and explosives were recovered.
After the recovery, Anant was booked under Arms Act and he was convicted to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment later by an MP/MLA special court. It all happened when Nitish was sharing power with BJP, making the relationship between JD(U) leader and Anant bitter.
However, with this move, Nitish seems to have given a strong signal that he is ready to ‘leave the past behind’ and also his firmness to strengthen the grand alliance ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Nitish along with deputy CM and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav will address an election meeting in Ghowari under Mokama assembly constituency on Thursday. JD (U) national president and MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, who also has his political rivalry with Anant has already started campaigning in Mokama.
During the campaigning, both Lalan Singh and Neelam Devi are travelling in the same SUV, dropping ample hints how political realignment in Bihar has also helped normalise relationships at the individual level. Interestingly, Lalan had contested the Lok Sabha election in 2019 against Neelam from Munger constituency. Singh had defeated Neelam in the election.
During the campaigning, Lalan told voters that Neelam is a candidate of grand alliance or mahagathbandhan, which was formed in 2015 assembly election in the state. Lalan Singh will be camping in Mokama constituency for two days from October 26. Both Lalan Singh and Neelam belong to the politically dominant ‘Bhumihar’ caste. Mokama along with Gopalganj will go to the by-polls on November 3.
The BJP has fielded Sonam Devi, the wife of another muscleman Lalan Singh (not JD-U president). She is getting support from former MP and yet another muscleman Surabhan Singh, belonging to Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) of union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras. Sonam Devi and Surajbhan are also from Bhumihar caste.