In Bihar, mixed fortunes for strongmen and their families this election

Bihar’s romance with strongman politics took shape in the post-Mandal 1990s, when hardened caste loyalties and weakened state institutions created space for bahubalis to rise as parallel centres of power. They stepped into the vacuum, becoming both feared and admired, a dynamic reflected in their electoral successes.

Nearly two-third of all legislators in the outgoing Bihar assembly have declared criminal cases against them, with nearly half of all MLAs across various political parties facing serious charges, according to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms this year.

A murder in Mokama during this election cycle had once again revived questions about muscle power in Bihar’s politics. In this election, several candidates with serious cases against them, or family members of strongmen were in the fray.

But how many have found acceptance in the 2025 assembly polls?

Mokama: ‘The prison gates will break’

JDU candidate and long-time strongman Anant Singh is leading from Mokama in Patna district as counting progresses. His main challenger, RJD’s Veena Devi, trails behind, with a margin of over 24,000 votes after 23 rounds of counting. Devi is the wife of Surajbhan Singh, Anant Singh’s rival in the area.

Singh is currently lodged in jail, accused of murdering a Jan Suraaj Party supporter. Yet anticipation of his return is visible in the constituency, where posters reportedly proclaim: “Jail ka faatak tootega, hamara sher chhootega” (The prison gates will break, our lion will be freed).

A five-time MLA, Singh entered the assembly in 2005 on a JDU ticket, retained the seat in 2010, quit the party in 2015 to contest as an Independent. With 28 criminal cases to his name, he lost his assembly membership in 2022 after a conviction in an arms case, following which his wife Neelam Devi won the bypoll.

Kuchaikote: A comfortable margin for candidate with several cases

In Kuchaikote (Gopalganj), five-time JD(U) MLA Amarendra Pandey carries a lengthy criminal docket — 20 serious IPC cases, one under the BNS, and 28 additional IPC charges. The accusations against him span murder and attempted murder to land grabbing, extortion, looting, and illegal possession of arms.

At the time of writing this report, Pandey had a comfortable margin of nearly 15,000 votes over the Congress’s Hari Narayan Singh, after 19 rounds of counting.

Raghunathpur: Shahabuddin’s son ahead

RJD’s Osama Shahab is holding a strong lead over JDU’s Vikash Kumar Singh –  the margin is over 16,000 after 13 rounds of counting..

Osama, son of the late Siwan strongman and former MP Mohammad Shahabuddin, faces two attempted murder cases, as declared in his affidavit. The BJP-led NDA has criticised the RJD for fielding him, accusing the party of promoting criminalisation and attempting to “bring back jungle raj,” a reference to the RJD’s rule under Lalu Prasad.

Brahampur: Brother of strongman leads

In Buxar’s Brahampur seat, the LJP (Ram Vilas) has fielded Hulas Pandey, brother of former JD(U) strongman Sunil Pandey. Hulas Pandey was chargesheeted by the CBI in 2023 for a 2012 murder case, and the Enforcement Directorate searched his properties in 2024 as part of a disproportionate assets investigation. He has also been named in the 2012 killing of Brahmeshwar Mukhiya.

Pandey had a thin margin of around 4,000 votes over the RJD’s Shambhunath Yadav after 14 rounds of counting.

Nabinagar: Anand Mohan’s son trails

In Nabinagar, JDU’s Chetan Anand is trailing RJD’s Amod Kumar Singh by a slim margin of around 400 votes after nine rounds of counting.

Chetan, the Sheohar MLA, is the son of former MP Anand Mohan, who faces multiple criminal cases and remains an influential figure in Sheohar, the Kosi belt, and Mithilanchal. Anand Mohan, once a fierce opponent of Lalu Prasad, founded the Bihar People’s Party in the 1990s before eventually allying with RJD. His career had long been shadowed by the 1994 lynching of G Krishnaiah, then district magistrate of Gopalganj, for which he faced criminal prosecution.

Danapur: Rit Lal Roy trails behind BJP

In Danapur, the RJD’s Rit Lal Roy, also known as Ritlal Yadav, is trailing behind BJP’s Ram Kripal Yadav with a margin of over 18,000 votes after 23 rounds of counting.

Roy faces at least 11 criminal cases, including charges of murder, extortion, rioting, criminal intimidation, and attempted murder. He has been in Bhagalpur Jail since April 2025 and received bail only to file his nomination. Despite this, he commands considerable influence in Danapur, reinforced by a campaign visit from RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. 

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