Munger: JD(U)’s Lalan Singh, Gangster-Turned-Politicians, And Caste Equations (image-X/LalanSingh_1)The political clash in Bihar’s Munger Lok Sabha constituency is set to be between incumbent MP and Janata Dal’s (United) Rajiv Ranjan “Lalan” Singh and RJD’s Anita Devi Mahto. However, what makes the clash interesting is that the JD(U) candidate is backed by gangster-turned-politician Anant Singh, while the RJD candidate is the wife of convicted Ashok Mahto and is believed to be a proxy candidate for him.
Lalan Singh is said to have been instrumental in aiding the JD(U)-RJD alliance in 2022. During an election campaign in Munger, Singh expressed his confidence in the Mahagathbandhan and stated that PM Modi’s “farewell” will begin in Bihar. Four months later, following the alliance being broken and JD(U) shaking hands with the BJP, Singh echoed the “400 paar” prediction for the BJP. While sharing the stage with PM Modi during another rally in Munger, Singh said that the former must teach a lesson to the “corrupt.”
The people of Munger express their disappointment in the region barely developing due to Lalan Singh’s lack of efforts in the past five years. However, the former party president is expected to win thanks to the alliance with the BJP. Notably, he lost the elections when JD(U) contested on its own.
Over the last decade, political parties such as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), JD(U) and Lok Janshakti Party have represented the seat. JD(U) candidate Lalan Singh represented the seat in 2009 and then in 2019 by winning 5.2 lakh votes and wresting the seat from LJP’s Veena Devi, wife of Dinesh Prasad Singh, who is the MLC from Muzaffarpur.
The RJD is hoping to get the Muslim-Yadav community votes, a section of Dalits votes, and the Kurmi vote by fielding the wife of Ashok Mahto, who rose in fame in the 1990s with his gang of people from the OBC categories of Kurmi and Koeris and fighting against the upper caste.
Meanwhile, other upper-caste groups are backing Singh, primarily because of the Modi factor. Singh also has the weight of five-time MLA from Mokama and out-on-parole Anant Singh, who sought votes for the JD(U) candidate.
Known as the ‘Chhote Sarkar’ of Mokama, Anant Singh was arrested on charges of possessing illegal arms, including an AK-47 assault rifle. The former MLA, once a member of the RJD, expressed confidence in the JD(U) candidate and said that Singh would win by a margin of four lakh votes.
The Munger Lok Sabha constituency comprises six Vidhan Sabhas, such as Munger, Jamalpur, Suryagarha, Lakhisarai, Mokama, and Barh. The SC population is 14.85 percent, while the Muslim community makes up 6.75 percent, as per the 2011 census.