With campaigning for the Patna Graduates' Legislative Council seat set to intensify the following day, JD(U) legislator Anant Singh placed his own party in a difficult position by telling an audience that he had arranged the killing of nine people during the period when he stood alongside Nitish Kumar in the latter's formative political years.
Singh made those remarks while campaigning on behalf of Jan Suraaj Party candidate Anuj Singh, who is set to contest the seat against JD(U) nominee Neeraj Kumar. The vote is scheduled for 23 October.
Speaking to those gathered, Singh claimed that no other party member had matched the personal cost he bore on Nitish Kumar's behalf. Citing his longstanding ties to the JD(U) chief, he stated that at the time Nitish Kumar held no notable standing and was moving from place to place. He told those present that, during the period he was allied with Kumar, nine people were killed on his orders.
Singh also told reporters he stood firmly behind the Bihar chief minister and that no challenge to the leadership had ever come from his side. He added that his decision to support Anuj was grounded in the understanding that the contest did not run along party lines, according to a broadcast news outlet.
Reports indicate that Singh has been taking an active stance in opposition to Neeraj Kumar, the JD(U) candidate contesting the Patna Graduates' constituency seat. Singh had previously blamed Neeraj for working against him at the Mokama Assembly contest and on multiple occasions had stated his intention to bring about Neeraj's defeat at the polls. At the rally, he pointed to what he described as the party's decision to overlook his longstanding ties to Nitish Kumar when awarding Neeraj the council seat.
The situation has left the JD(U) without a clear path forward on questions of party cohesion. Efforts at the leadership level to broker a resolution between the parties did not result in an agreement. Rajiv Ranjan Singh, also known as Lalan Singh and serving as a Union Minister, was unable to bring Anant around to dropping his opposition.
Anant Singh, who goes by the nickname "Chhote Sarkar," is reported to hold considerable sway over the Mokama area of Patna district. His decision to back an opposing candidate has introduced a point of internal tension for the party, arriving weeks ahead of the vote. Anant's decision to go against the party's stated directions drew a notice from JD(U) state president Umesh Singh Kushwaha that internal disciplinary measures remained on the table. The Mokama MLA maintained that his earlier remarks accurately reflected his position and indicated no intention of walking them back.
While canvassing for Anuj Singh, Jan Suraaj Party founder and Bankipur MLA Prashant Kishor directed remarks at the NDA. Kishor contended that ballots had been cast in Nitish's name yet Samrat Choudhary had ended up occupying the chief minister's post, and he called on voters to reject NDA candidates as a way of signalling their opposition to Choudhary's continuation in that role. Kishor also raised the question of whether someone with pending criminal charges against them should be permitted to lead the government.
