Yadav Clan's Bastions To Former Don's Stronghold: Key Constituencies In Bihar

Though no major political party in Bihar has named candidates for the assembly polls, contests in the following constituencies are likely to be exciting.

Raghopur - RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav aims at a hat-trick from the seat which has, in the past, sent his father Lalu Prasad and mother Rabri Devi to the Vidhan Sabha.

Although the Yadav-dominated seat is not seen as much of a challenge for Tejashwi, if Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor indeed jumps into the fray, as he has been claiming for some time, people of the Vaishali district constituency will witness one of the most high-profile contests in recent years.

Mahua - Situated adjacent to Raghopur, this seat was won by Tejashwi Yadav's elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav in 2020. In five years, the party became convinced that the seat would be lost if the RJD supremo's elder son was fielded again.

Hence, Tej Pratap was packed off to Hasanpur in Samastipur district in 2020, while Tejashwi's close aide Mukesh Raushan retained Mahua for the RJD.

One of the factors that were said to have led to Tej Pratap's suspension from his own father's party in May was his announcement that he would "return to Mahua" in 2025, which had famously caused Raushan to break into sobs.

Now, out of RJD, a no-strings-attached Tej Pratap Yadav, who has floated his own party, would be an eyesore, albeit in a neighbouring constituency, that Tejashwi Yadav would not have liked when his eyes are set on the seat of power.

Mokama - A fiefdom of don turned politician Anant Kumar Singh, the seat has remained with his family since 1990, whatever may be the party affiliation, except for a brief interlude during which it was wrested by a rival "baahubali".

Singh, who gave the mantle to his wife Neelam Devi in 2022, when his conviction in a UAPA case led to disqualification from the assembly, has been acquitted by the Patna High Court and he has made it clear that he can no more entrust his spouse with guarding the family fortress. Speculations are rife that Singh may field one of his twin sons, if the 58 years old decides that for him it is time to call it a day.

The RJD gave him the ticket in 2020 and to his wife in the by-poll two years later. But Neelam Devi defected to NDA last year, understandably with her husband's approval. The family is now likely to get a ticket from JD(U), headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is often seen as Anant Singh's main benefactor.

The RJD has vowed to make things difficult for "Chhote Sarkar", as Singh is known in Mokama, by backing whoever promises the toughest challenge. Among the possible contenders are Suraj Bhan Singh, another gangster turned politician who had wrested the seat from Anant Singh's elder brother Dilip in 2000. Suraj Bhan is with Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party of former Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras, which has joined the RJD-helmed INDIA bloc in Bihar.

Speculations are also rife that Sonu and Monu, henchmen turned rivals of Anant Singh, have developed political ambitions and the RJD was not averse to giving party tickets to either brother. More firepower has been promised to RJD by Ashok Mahto, another dreaded gangster from Mokama who sees himself as a lower caste challenger to Anant Singh's upper caste hegemony.

Mahto, whose wife Anita had fought last year's Lok Sabha polls from Munger, under which Mokama falls, may not be able to contest assembly polls himself because of a long history sheet. He has, nonetheless, vowed to back, with all his "resources", whoever posed the most potent challenge to Anant Singh.

Sheohar - Chetan Anand won the seat on an RJD ticket but crossed over to the NDA ahead of Lok Sabha polls, and his mother Lovely Anand, also got rehabilitated by winning the parliamentary constituency of the same name on a JD(U) ticket.

Inability to retain the seat could be a major embarrassment to not just the 35 years old MLA, but also Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who has been accused of tweaking jail rules to enable his father Anand Mohan walk out of the prison.

Harnaut - This assembly seat is widely seen as Nitish Kumar's own though the Chief Minister has not contested an assembly election for 30 years.

Kumar made his debut from the seat in 1985 and won it again in 1995, despite being the sitting MP from Barh. His newly floated Samata party could be no match to the Janata Dal then headed by his arch rival Lalu Prasad.

The seat has always been with the Samata party and its current avatar JD(U). Speculation is rife that if the 74 years old leader gives up his distaste for 'dynasty politics', his son Nishant Kumar may be inducted into the JD(U) and made the party candidate from Harnaut.

Assembly polls will be held in the state on November 6 and 11, and votes will be counted on November 14.