JD(U) vs JD(U) in MLC polls: How a feud handed Prashant Kishor a chance

Even as elections to eight MLC seats in Bihar are set to be held on October 23, the Patna Graduate constituency has emerged as the most closely watched contest not because of a conventional face-off between political rivals, but due to the fight effectively turning into a JD(U) versus JD(U) battle.

The Janata Dal (United)’s official candidate, Neeraj Kumar, is facing an open challenge from fellow party MLA from Mokama, Anant Singh, who is campaigning for the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) nominee, Anuj Singh.

Neeraj, who is also the JD(U) chief spokesperson, is seeking a fourth-consecutive term from the Patna Graduates seat. But Anant, who shares a long-standing rivalry with Neeraj, has been campaigning for Anuj. What has made the situation particularly awkward for the JD(U) is the reluctance of its top leadership to intervene.

Both Neeraj and Anant are from Mokama and their rivalry predates their association with the JD(U). In the 2015 Assembly elections, Neeraj had unsuccessfully contested against Anant, who won as an Independent. Singh, who has faced several criminal cases, had also drawn criticism from Neeraj in the past. Now, with Singh openly campaigning against the party’s official candidate, the JD(U) has so far stopped short of taking disciplinary action against him.

The rebellion has given JSP founder Prashant Kishor an opening. Kishor has thrown an open challenge to Neeraj, saying the JSP would withdraw its candidate if former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar issued an “authentic” video message backing Neeraj’s candidature.

“If Neeraj Kumar gets Nitish Kumar to issue an authentic video message supporting his candidature, we will withdraw our candidate from the Patna Graduates seat,” Kishor said, stressing that the video should not be AI-generated.

Kishor smells chance

Kishor has stepped up his campaign, making education the centrepiece of his pitch. He has also promised job guarantees, drawing on his campaign in Bankipur, where he had promised to facilitate at least 10,000 private-sector jobs over five years.

The JSP believes Anant’s support could significantly alter the dynamics of the contest. “With Union minister Rajeev Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh and JD(U) national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha refusing to intervene and Anant fully backing us, who knows, we could do a Bankipur in the Patna Graduate seat,” a JSP source said.

For Neeraj, the contest is a sharp departure from his earlier elections. The Patna Graduates seat, covering parts of Patna, Nalanda and Nawada and around 80,000 registered graduate voters, was virtually a cakewalk for him in the 2008, 2014 and 2020 MLC elections.

Neeraj, once considered close to Lalan Singh, is now fighting the election without the organisational backing he might have expected. A source close to him said the party’s inaction over Anant Singh’s campaigning was difficult to understand.

“It is not rocket science to understand who is goading Anant. It is also surprising that the party has not initiated any disciplinary action against him for anti-party activities. However, Neeraj has faced party infighting in past elections and still won,” the source said.

Anant, for his part, remains unapologetic about backing the JSP candidate.

“Neeraj has opposed me in at least four of my elections despite being a fellow JD(U) member. I faced the Ladma Arms Act case because of him. There is no question of backing out of my support for the JSP candidate,” he said.

‘Not my battle’

Jha, meanwhile, sought to distance himself from the dispute. “It is a matter concerning areas under the Lok Sabha seat (Munger) of Lalan Singh. It is up to him to see how the matter can be sorted out,” he said.

Lalan Singh, however, also ruled out direct intervention. “We heard what our national working president said. But Anant has his own concerns. It is not for me to intervene in such matters,” he told reporters.

There are, nevertheless, factors that could work in Neeraj’s favour. Anant’s influence remains largely confined to pockets of Mokama and parts of Nawada. Neeraj has also played a significant role in enrolling graduate voters. Besides Lalan Singh, senior JD(U) leaders, including Jha, Bihar minister Shravan Kumar and Nishant Kumar, have campaigned for him. Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary is also expected to campaign for Neeraj in the final phase.

The RJD has fielded Dilip Kumar, who contested the previous election as a Congress candidate. “The internal JD(U) battle is creating confusion among voters and will definitely help our candidate. It also tells a lot about the internal problems within the NDA and JD(U),” RJD national spokesperson Subodh Kumar Mehta said.

The elections to four Graduates constituencies — Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut and Kosi — and four Teachers constituencies — Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut and Saran — cover 30 districts and around 150 Assembly constituencies. A total of 164 candidates are in the fray across the eight seats, the results for which will be declared on October 27. The Bihar Legislative Council has a strength of 75.