Anant Kumar Singh leads Mokama in Bihar elections 2025, even from jail; wife Neelam Devi shifts allegiance to NDA. Photo: ANI.
Anant Kumar Singh, popularly known as ‘Chhote Sarkar’, is currently leading as the JD(U) candidate from the Mokama assembly constituency, according to trends released by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Singh, a don-turned-politician, had made headlines just before polling in Bihar after being arrested in connection with the murder of a supporter of Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj party.
As per the ECI data, after the 20th round, Singh continues to lead with over 23,000 votes, despite remaining in jail.
Singh’s wife, Neelam Devi, had previously won the Mokama seat on an RJD ticket in the 2022 by-election, but later shifted her allegiance to the NDA government.
The Mokama constituency, one of the 121 assembly segments that voted in the first phase of the 2025 Bihar assembly elections, recorded a voter turnout of 64.77%.
Anant Kumar Singh is a four-time legislator and a powerful mobiliser of the Bhumihar caste vote bank. Over the years, he has been embroiled in serious criminal cases, ranging from murder to illegal possession of arms.
Singh’s political journey was influenced by his elder brother, Dilip Singh, a former regional strongman. He joined Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) in the early 2000s, marking the beginning of his legislative career.
Singh first contested the Mokama seat as a JD(U) candidate in February 2005 and has held it for four consecutive terms.
However, after two terms, his relationship with JD(U) soured due to his criminal activities, prompting him to contest the 2015 assembly election as an Independent.
By 2020, he joined the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and successfully contested the seat on their ticket.
Anant Singh’s criminal cases escalated in 2019 when he was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). In June 2022, he was convicted in connection with the recovery of an AK-47 rifle and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The High Court acquitted him in 2024 in the Arms Act case. His 2022 conviction led to disqualification as a legislator, after which his wife Neelam Devi won the by-election on an RJD ticket.
For the 2025 elections, JD(U) has again fielded Anant Singh from Mokama.
While filing his nomination papers last month, Anant Singh declared movable and immovable assets worth ₹37.88 crore, while his wife Neelam Devi declared assets worth ₹62.72 crore.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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