Overview
- JD(U) expelled six-time MLA Anant Kumar Singh and his wife Neelam Devi for six years and has asked Assembly Speaker Prem Kumar to disqualify Singh under the Tenth Schedule for campaigning against the party’s official candidate.
- Singh openly campaigned for the Prashant Kishor‑backed Jan Suraaj nominee in the Patna Graduates’ contest, and JD(U) candidate Neeraj Kumar retained the seat in the count reported on October 28.
- After the poll result Singh publicly distanced himself from the Jan Suraaj nominee, saying his actions were driven by a personal feud with Neeraj Kumar and that he did not personally know the rival candidate.
- State authorities removed Neelam Devi’s ministerial status, removed her from a government panel, and the Building Construction Department asked her to vacate the official bungalow, signaling administrative pressure beyond party discipline.
- Singh’s long history of criminal cases, a 2022 arms conviction and later 2024 acquittal by the Patna High Court, plus the couple’s large local property holdings, make the dispute a direct threat to the family’s decades‑long political fiefdom in Mokama.