Anant Singh vs Neeraj Kumar: How a JD(U) feud is testing Nitish’s party

Bihar is witnessing an unusual political showdown, with ruling JD(U) MLA Anant Singh openly defying his party leadership by campaigning for opposition Jan Suraj Party (JSP) candidate Anuj Singh in the upcoming Patna Graduate constituency Legislative Council polls. Anant has urged voters to back Anuj to defeat the JD(U)’s own candidate, Neeraj Kumar, a close confidant of former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Anant Singh’s backing of Anuj Singh took a sharper turn when he joined his nomination procession and had 50,000 white rasgullas prepared and distributed among people to celebrate his likely victory. The gesture was also meant to signal the likely defeat of JD(U) candidate Neeraj Kumar.

JD(U) grapples with dissent

Anant Singh was seen in an open jeep with JSP candidate Anuj Singh during a road show for the filing of nomination papers on October 1. Hundreds of his supporters and followers in SUVs, on two-wheelers and on foot also joined the show of strength.

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Anant Singh’s supporters also shouted slogans in favour of former CM and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar and his son Nishant Kumar, Bihar’s Health Minister, during the road show. It was a clear message from him that he is loyal to Nitish and his son Nishant, who matter more than anyone else in the party.

But JSP founder Prashant Kishor, who is also the party’s lone MLA, was missing during Anuj Singh’s nomination-filing procession.

Soon after Anant Singh’s revolt against the party, its top leaders held a two-and-a-half-hour meeting at Nitish’s official residence to discuss the issue. Sources in the JD(U) camp said the party had decided to go for damage control and work to ensure the victory of its candidate. But party leaders were reportedly reluctant to act against the powerful Anant Singh.

Will the JD(U) ignore Anant Singh’s open revolt or take action against him? This is being debated within the party and in the state’s political circles.

Anant doubles down on support

According to JD(U) leaders close to Anant Singh, all the white rasgullas prepared for Anuj Singh’s nomination filing were distributed among supporters and followers. They recalled that it was a scaled-down version of last year’s event, when Anant prepared more than two lakh sweets, including gulab jamun and rasgulla, and distributed them days before the actual voting, declaring his victory. Anant Singh contested and won from the Mokama seat in last November’s Bihar Assembly polls.

Anant Singh, known for his colourful lifestyle, claimed during the road show that he was fully confident of Anuj Singh’s victory. “Anuj Singh ka jeet 500 per cent hoga, janta hi hamari malik hai, wahi hamara Bhagwan hai, humko vote degi. Hum jeetenge,” said Anant.

Anant Singh said he had not been defeated in any election because people supported him. “This time again people will support Anuj Singh and he will win the poll.”

Last week, a war of words broke out between Anant Singh and JD(U) candidate Neeraj Kumar after the Mokama MLA declared that he would work to ensure Neeraj’s defeat in the upcoming Patna Graduate constituency Legislative Council polls.

Anant invokes old Nitish ties

In mid-September, Anant Singh made it clear that he would oppose Neeraj. He said he would use all his political strength to defeat Neeraj because, in past elections, Neeraj had worked against him.

Anant and Neeraj have been attacking each other over loyalty to the party and Nitish Kumar. Both have sought to project their proximity to Nitish to gain an edge over the other. But Anant Singh’s claim that he had supported and helped Nitish for years has embarrassed the latter’s image as ‘sushashan babu’ (man of good governance). His party leaders have projected him as a leader who worked for ‘sushashan’ and ‘kanoon ka raj’ (good governance and rule of law) in Bihar during his 20-year tenure as chief minister.

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“When Nitish Kumar was nothing, much before he became chief minister, I was with him. I sold my cows and buffaloes to weigh him with silver coins,” said Anant. During the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, a year before Nitish became chief minister, Anant had weighed him with silver coins in Mokama, his stronghold.

Anant Singh, popularly known as Chhote Sarkar, is a criminal-turned-politician still facing several criminal cases, including murder, kidnapping and extortion, and has served jail terms in serious criminal cases. He has been targeting Neeraj by claiming his closeness to Nitish, when Neeraj was an unknown face.

A political bond under scrutiny

Interestingly, both Anant and Neeraj belong to the powerful upper-caste Bhumihar community in Mokama, Patna district. The difference is that Anant was once a terror in the Mokama and Barh regions, while Neeraj entered politics from a Left background and is known as one of Nitish’s most outspoken advocates over the last decade.

Responding to Anant’s charges, Neeraj said Anant had opposed Nitish despite having “eaten his salt”. But Neeraj made it clear that Anant’s entry into politics was due to Nitish. “Rajniti mein Nitish Kumar ne to aapko janam diya hai.”

A political analyst said that even Neeraj, known for championing former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, also the party’s national president, has not denied that Anant entered politics due to Nitish. “This itself makes things clear that Nitish had a long association with Anant, a known Bahubali.”

A few years ago, Anant was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in a case related to the recovery of arms and ammunition, including an AK-47 assault rifle, from his house in 2019, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). But despite this, Nitish’s JD(U) gave him a ticket last year to contest the polls.

Anant’s defiance tests JD(U)

Anant Singh was made the JD(U) candidate after the Patna High Court acquitted him in one of several criminal cases. The decision was seen as a blessing from Nitish Kumar, despite Neeraj’s long-standing opposition to Anant’s entry into electoral politics.

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For years, Neeraj has been a lone voice against Anant Singh, arguing that criminals should not enter politics. In last year’s (2025) Bihar Assembly polls, when the JD(U) decided to field Anant from Mokama, Neeraj had opposed the move. “I failed to understand how he (Anant) got party ticket when he was not even a member of the party,” he had said.

Now, with Anant openly campaigning against the JD(U)’s own candidate, the old rivalry has turned into a direct test of party discipline. Neeraj, a former minister considered close to Nitish Kumar, has dared Anant to file a case against him if he has anything against him over his allegations. “You are roaming around with goons,” he said, adding that the rule of law would apply to everyone.