Wives in poll fray, Bihar’s ‘bahubalis’ look for proxy run

Aksheev Thakur

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New Delhi, March 30

“Bahubalis” who wield control over several constituencies in Bihar and some of whom have had long prison stints after being convicted in cases such as lynching of a bureaucrat and murder of politicians, are back in Bihar politics ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

After their conviction, some of them cannot contest the poll owing to rules that prohibit convicts jailed for over two years from contesting the elections until six years after release. They have secured the LS poll ticket for their wives.

Lovely Anand, wife of “strongman” Anand Mohan Singh; Bima Bharti, wife of Awadhesh Mandal; Anita Mahto, wife of Ashok Mahto; and Vijaylakshmi Devi, wife of Ramesh Kushwaha, have got the ticket from the JD(U) and the RJD. Anand Mohan was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison for the lynching of Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah. His wife Lovely Anand will contest from Sheohar on the JD(U) ticket.

Ashok Mahto recently walked out of a Bihar jail after spending 17 years. He was convicted in severak cases, including the Nawada jailbreak and the Sheikhpura massacre in which Congress MP Rajo Singh and clerk Shyam Kishore Singh also died. Mahto (62) cannot contest the elections. However, in a bid to gain political clout, he married 46-year-old Kumari Anita in March. Anita, who has got the ticket from the RJD, will take on JD(U) “strongman” Lalan Singh from Munger. On his wife’s behalf, Mahto is preparing to campaign for the elections.

Bima Bharti will contest from Purnia on the RJD ticket. This is the constituency from where Pappu Yadav wants to contest the elections on the Congress ticket. Her husband Awadhesh Mandal was a dreaded criminal in the Kosi and Purnia regions. He faces at least 46 cases, including murder and kidnapping. The first case was filed in 1997 and a murder case in Chausa in 1998. The Purnia police, who claimed to have had strong cases against him since 1997, have got him convicted. Even his wife, Bharti, has lodged complaints against him for assault.

Vijaylakshmi Devi, wife of Ramesh Kushwaha, an MLA of the JD(U), will contest from Siwan. In 2016, Kushwaha had surrendered before a local court in connection with a murder case and was remanded in judicial custody for two weeks. The case is pending against him.