Political rift widens in JDU as Mokama MLA Anant Singh backs Jan Suraaj candidate DrAnuj Kumar in the Patna Graduate MLC election.
Published: September 28, 2026, 7:28 PM IST
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Anant Singh- File image
Patna: Internal friction within the Janata Dal (United) deepened after Mokama MLA and party strongman Anant Kumar Singh publicly declared his support for Anuj Kumar Singh, a close aide contesting on a Jan Suraaj ticket in the upcoming Bihar MLC elections. Despite the JD(U) officially nominating Neeraj Kumar for the Patna Graduates constituency, Anant Kumar Singh vowed to actively campaign against his own party’s candidate to ensure his defeatWith the big announcement made by the JDU leader, reports of internal rift in JD(U) are gaining headlines.
Why JDU’s Anant Singh opposed own party candidate?
Defying the party line, Anant Singh declared his complete support for Anuj Singh, a candidate backed by Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj PartyLast week, Anant Singh openly challenged JD-U MLC Neeraj Kumar, proposing a face-to-face public debate on all contentious issues and even offering what he described as a Rs 20-crore wager to settle their long-running disputes.
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He called upon Neeraj Kumar to join him near a Hanuman temple in Patna for an open discussion.
“Let us sit across from each other and debate face-to-faceWe will settle all scores,” Singh said.
The roots of the rivalry stretch back to the 2015 Bihar Assembly electionsAt the time, Singh was a dominant political figure in Mokama but had been arrested in June that year in connection with a murder caseSubsequently, JD-U fielded Neeraj Kumar from the Mokama constituency instead of Singh.
Internal rift in JDU
The rift inside the JD(U) reflects broader instability within the ruling NDA coalition, where ideological and tactical friction between the BJP and JD(U) has repeatedly surfacedBihar’s ruling NDA faces severe internal turmoil: Mokama MLA Anant Kumar Singh’s rebellion, backing Jan Suraaj candidate DrAnuj Kumar Singh over official JD(U) nominee Neeraj Kumar for the Patna Graduates MLC seat mirrors deeper BJP-JD(U) rifts over Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary’s hardline UP-style policing vsNitish Kumar’s Sushasan governance, alongside ongoing clashes over seat-sharing and Chief Ministerial succession.
JD-U MLA Anant Singh hits out at Bihar LoP Tejashwi Yadav
In a related development, Janata Dal-United MLA Anant Kumar Singh criticised the Bihar Leader of Opposition (LoP) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav for his criticism of the state government over the Jamui molestation case, accusing the latter of indulging in “vote-bank politics”.
Earlier in the day, Tejashwi Yadav demanded the resignation of Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, saying that the incident shows “women and girls are not safe anywhere in the state”.
