Mokama election result: Who is ‘Chote Sarkar’ aka Anant Singh? Jailed ‘Bahubali’, who won by over 28,000 votes

In Mokama assembly constituency in Bihar's Patna district, Janata Dal (United) MLA Anant Kumar Singh, arrested in a murder case during electioneering, won by 28,206 votes.

He defeated Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate Veena Devi.

Anant Singh, popularly known as Chhote Sarkar, is a controversial politician and strongman (bahubali). He is a five-time former MLA from the Mokama Assembly constituency in Patna district.

At 64 years old (born 1961), he hails from Nadawan village in Barh block and is the younger brother of the late Dilip Singh (Bade Sarkar), a former MLA and minister who dominated Mokama in the 1990s. He travels in an antique buggy and wears signature white attire with dark sunglasses.

Posters during his 2025 jail stint read, “Jail ka faatak tootega, hamara sher chhootega” (Prison gates will break, our lion will be released).

His family has controlled Mokama politics for over two decades, with no outsider winning the seat since 2000. But how?

How did Anant Singh win during Jungle Raj?

Singh won Mokama in 2005 on a Janata Dal (United) ticket, defeating rivals amid Bihar's shift from “Jungle Raj” under Lalu Prasad Yadav.

He retained the seat in 2010 (JD(U)), 2015 (as an Independent after quitting JD(U) over Nitish Kumar's alliance with RJD), and 2020 (RJD, with a 52.99% vote share).

His wife, Neelam Devi, won the 2022 bypoll for RJD after his disqualification. In the 2025 Bihar Elections, he is back with JD(U) (NDA), contesting Mokama against RJD's Veena Devi (wife of rival strongman Surajbhan Singh).

Despite being jailed on 2 November 2025, for the alleged murder of Jan Suraaj Party supporter Dular Chand Yadav, who was killed on 30 October in a clash, early trends on counting day show him leading by over 13,000 votes, potentially a sixth win if it holds.

How Anant Singh became the face of Bhumihars in Bihar?

The “Jungle Raj”, which lasted between 1990 and 2005 under Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi (RJD rule), was marked by lawlessness, caste wars, kidnappings, and economic collapse. For the Bhumihar community (upper-caste landowners, ~2–3% of Bihar's population), this era was a nightmare of targeted violence, land grabs, and political marginalisation — often described by Bhumihars as a "genocide" or “dark age”.

Anant Singh's family rose as “protectors” of Bhumihars during violent caste wars in the Barh-Mokama belt, where Naxalite attacks and Rajput-Yadav feuds targeted upper-caste landowners.

The Jungle Raj remains a defining trauma for Bhumihars, explaining their unbreakable bond with the NDA and figures like Anant Singh, who rose to prominence as a protector in the vacuum left by state failure.

How many criminal cases are there against Anant Singh?

Anant Singh's 2020 affidavit revealed 52 criminal cases, including charges of murder, abduction, kidnapping, and violations of the Arms Act. He was convicted under the UAPA in 2022 for possessing illegal weapons and sentenced to 10 years, which led to his disqualification.

More recently, in November, he was arrested in the Dular Chand Yadav murder case, filed by the victim’s grandson. Singh has denied the allegation, calling it a political “conspiracy”.

His past is also shadowed by accusations in the 2018 murder and molestation case involving Reshma Khatoon, as well as violent feuds with rivals like Surajbhan Singh, conflicts that have resulted in the deaths of hired gunmen and bystanders.

Despite convictions and frequent run-ins with the law, Singh has navigated jail terms and political shifts with surprising ease, often shielded by strategic alliances.

This has mainly drawn criticism toward chief minister Nitish Kumar—long seen as an anti-crime reformer—for maintaining political ties with Singh.

(With inputs from agencies)