Bihar constituency set to witness showdown between ‘bahubalis’

Aksheev Thakur

New Delhi, May 7

With the release of Bihar’s gangster-turned-politician and five-time MLA from Mokama, Anant Singh, on parole, the Munger Lok Sabha constituency has turned into a battleground.

In Munger, the political fight is between JD(U)’s Lalan Singh and RJD’s Anita Devi Mahto. Devi is the wife of convicted gangster Ashok Mahto and is said to be a proxy candidate for him. With Anant backing Lalan, the contest is a bahubali vs bahubali fight. Lalan is the sitting MP from Munger.

In a show of strength, more than 100 SUVs were seen in Anant’s cavalcade between Patna and Mokama on May 5. The Mokama Assembly constituency falls under the Munger Lok Sabha seat that would go to the polls on May 13.

While the Bihar police said the parole was granted to Anant to resolve issues related to his ancestral land, political leaders in the RJD linked his release to gather support for the JD(U). Both Anant and Lalan are from the Bhumihar community.

“I haven’t heard his (Ashok Mahto) name. There is competition. Lalan Singh is winning by a huge margin of five lakh votes. There is no fight,” Anant said.

Meanwhile, Ashok is famously known for the 2001 Nawada jailbreak, where he escaped along with four others after killing a guard. A web-series “Khakee: The Bihar Chapter” is based on his life.

After serving 17 years in jail, he was released in 2023, after which he made his political ambitions clear. Since Ashok (58) could not contest the election due to rules that bar convicts jailed for over two years from contesting elections for six years after their release, he married Anita in March this year and secured the RJD ticket for her from Munger.

“It was difficult for Lalan Singh to win with a clear majority this time because Munger is a Kurmi-dominated area and Mahto is a Kurmi. Even after the release of Anant Singh, the game will not go completely in his favour as the backward community will support Mahto,” a senior RJD functionary said.