Overview
- On October 24, JD(U) cancelled Anant Kumar Singh’s primary membership and expelled him for six years and simultaneously expelled his wife, former MLA Neelam Devi, with the order taking immediate effect.
- The party said the action followed Singh’s public campaigning for Jan Suraaj Party nominee Anuj Singh against JD(U) candidate Neeraj Kumar in the Patna Graduates constituency and repeated defiance of party directives.
- JD(U) has formally asked Bihar Assembly Speaker Prem Kumar to disqualify Singh under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, a procedural request that leaves the final decision with the Speaker and opens the door to judicial challenges.
- The expulsions come days after reports that Singh said he had ‘masterminded nine murders’ for Nitish Kumar, a remark he later called misunderstood, and they build on a long-running rivalry that dates back to the 2015 Mokama election.
- The move risks shifting local electoral alignments and deepening factional strain inside the state NDA partner, with polling clashes and police detentions already reported during the Patna Graduates contest.