Bahubalis back in action ahead of Bihar polls to save their legacy

Bihar’s criminals-turned-politicians, locally known as “Bahubalis” (strongmen) for their muscle power, are active again in the state. Two months ahead of the state Assembly elections, they are gearing up to fight to save their political legacy.

Even if they may not be able to contest the polls themselves because of one reason or another, they have been trying hard to ensure a ticket from the ruling and Opposition alliances for their respective children, wives, or other family members to contest the elections that are likely to be held around October-November.

Lobbying begins by 12 Bahubalis

Sources in the ruling NDA of JD(U), BJP, HAM, LJP(R), and the Opposition’s grand alliance (Mahagathbandhan) of the RJD, Congress, Left parties, and VIP confirmed to The Federal that over a dozen Bahubalis, including former MPs and MLAs, have started lobbying with the top leadership seeking tickets for their family members.

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It was visible about two weeks back, when, within a span of a few hours, one after another, convicted and well-known Bahubali politicians, former MLA Anant Singh and former MP Anand Mohan, separately visited the official residence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and held a closed-door discussion with him.

Anant also met Union Minister Lalan Singh, a former JD(U) president, who holds the most clout in the party after Nitish, and held talks with him. On Tuesday (August 12), Bihar minister and senior JD(U) leader Ashok Choudhary visited Anant and had tea.

It has not come as a surprise to many that Nitish's NDA government's much-publicised claims of “kanoon ka raj” (rule of law) and “sushasan” (good governance) have already lost relevance following rising crime and rampant corruption in recent years and close proximity to Bahubalis.

There are other Bahubalis like Surajbhan Singh, Sunil Pandey, Shankar Singh, Rama Singh, Munna Shukla, Hulas Pandey, Ashok Mahto, Pappu Yadav, Rajballav Yadav, and Rayees and Ayub Khan, who are trying hard to get tickets for their kin to contest the elections.

What experts say

Even Heena Shahab, widow of former RJD MP from Siwan, Mohammad Shahabuddin, a Bahubali who was well known for his notoriety, is trying to ensure that her son Osama Sahab contests the polls this time from a constituency that was once a stronghold of her late husband.

Shahabuddin died in May 2021, days after being diagnosed with COVID-19 in Delhi's Tihar jail, where he was serving a life sentence for murder.

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Former BJP MP Rama Devi, wife of deceased gangster Brij Bihari Prasad, who was killed by his rivals nearly two decades ago, is keen to contest the next polls herself or have one of her family members do so. She was denied a ticket by the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Bima Bharti, a five-time MLA, who contested unsuccessfully from the Purnea seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha poll, is the wife of gangster Awadhesh Mandal, who faces a dozen serious criminal cases, and is set to contest the next Assembly polls as an RJD candidate.

Bihar minister and senior JD(U) leader Lesi Singh, wife of slain gang lord Butan Singh, is set to contest from her traditional seat, while Annu Shukla, wife of former MLA Munna Shukla, is trying to contest on an RJD ticket from Lalganj constituency.

“Bahubalis are batting for their sons, wives, or close family members with a winnability factor. Caste and criminal background have a close relation that helped them get support and votes in elections. They are active in their stronghold to save the Bahubali legacy by passing the baton to their son, wife, or any other family member,” said political observer Satyanarayan Madan.

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He added that over the years, these Bahubalis have changed their face from dreaded criminals to politicians and emerged as profit-making businessmen. “Many of them are either school dropouts or illiterates but sent their sons abroad for higher education,” he said.

A political analyst said it has become a political compulsion now not to ignore powerful Bahubalis, who once dominated Bihar politics, and are now pitching for their successors to do so. It is an old story how the nexus between criminals and politicians was encouraged and nursed by all except the Left parties. For the RJD, led by Lalu Prasad, the JD(U) led by Nitish, the LJP(R), the BJP and the Congress, Bahubalis are guaranteed to use their resources, muscle power, and influence to win elections.

When Nitish got Bahubalis' support

He recalled how Nitish became the chief minister for the first time in 2000 for only a week with the active support of half a dozen newly elected jailed Bahubali MLAs like Suraj Bhan Singh, Sunil Pandey, Dhumal Singh, Rajan Tiwary, Rama Singh, and Munna Shukla, all belonging to the upper caste. They were facing cases of murder, kidnapping, robbery, illegal confinement, intimidation, and other serious crimes.

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It is a different matter that even though these notorious criminals-turned-legislators favoured him and were brought from the Patna-based Beur jail to vote in the floor test, shouted “Nitish Kumar Zindabad” and got photographed with him in his chamber, the government did not last for long as Nitish failed to get majority.

“Not only Lalu or late former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, Nitish Kumar too promoted and protected Bahubalis like Anant Singh, Anand Mohan, Suraj Bhan Singh, Sunil Pandey, and Munna Shukla,” Madan added.

Bahubalis in politics are not new in semi-feudal Bihar; muscle power is rooted in politics. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) report of winning candidates of the last state Assembly (2020) polls revealed that 68 per cent of them have pending criminal charges and 51 per cent of them have declared serious cases against themselves, include murder, rape, and kidnapping.

Winners with criminal cases

The ADR’s report highlighted that the number of winners with criminal cases had increased from 142 (58 per cent of the total) in 2015 to 163 (68 per cent) in 2020. Similarly, ADR’s report noted that 21 of 40 MPs elected from Bihar in the 2024 Lok Sabha election have declared criminal cases against them. The lone independent MP Pappu Yadav, who is considered close to Congress, has declared 41 criminal cases against himself in his affidavit.

According to the ADR report, guns and goons have played a key role in the Bihar elections, and so has dynastic politics. And, as winning elections is crucial, the political parties give probity a go-by and go for candidates who are flush with funds and muscle power. Unfortunately, mainstream parties are not averse to giving them party tickets.

Pushpender Kumar, former professor at Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) in Patna, says that Nitish's meeting with two convicted Bahubalis at his residence in broad daylight shows that he has no problem and no hesitation to welcome them. It is another matter that Nitish is widely publicised as “Sushasan Babu” by his party men and supporters.

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“It is unfortunate but a reality that the man (Nitish) who made a serious attempt in his first tenure as CM (2005-2010) to end Bahubalis’ dominance by initiating action against them is now trying to reverse it. Bahubalis are on the path of return by getting their sons and wives to contest the polls.”

Pushpender further said that in the Bihari society, Bahubali culture has been prevailing for ages. Voices against dabangai (boldness) and Bahubalis is not strong among the people, as the area was under the zamindari system for long, and that feudal touch is still alive.

Annu Shukla, wife of JD-U legislator Munna Shukla, who is currently in jail for the murder of former Bihar minister Brijbihari Prasad, is the JD-U candidate from Lalganj constituency.

Minutes after being released from Patna jail on Wednesday (August 6), an outspoken Anant, a convicted gangster, loudly claimed to contest the polls from his traditional stronghold Mokama on a JD(U) ticket. Anant, popularly known as Chhote Sarkar, won the Mokama seat from jail in the 2020 Assembly polls as an RJD candidate.

In 2022, when he was convicted and disqualified as an MLA and debarred from contesting polls, his wife Neelam Devi contested and won the bypoll as an RJD candidate. But after Nitish re-joined hands with the BJP-led NDA on January 28, 2024, and formed the government, Anant's wife, an RJD MLA, also changed sides and voted for Nitish in the trust vote in February 2024.

Anant, who belongs to the powerful upper caste Bhumihar, was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment in a case related to the recovery of arms and ammunition, including an AK-47 assault rifle, from his house in 2019, under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

MP Pappu Yadav lobbies for son

Former MP Anand Mohan was convicted and sentenced to life for lynching district magistrate G Krishnaiah in the mid-90s in Bihar. His death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by the Patna High Court.

He was released in April 2023 after 16 years in jail. His release was possible after Nitish’s government amended the prison rules. His elder son Chetan Anand won the 2020 Assembly polls on an RJD ticket, but he also changed sides and voted for Nitish in the trust vote in February 2024.

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Anand Mohan’s wife Lovely Anand is the JD(U) MP from Sheohar seat.

A senior JD(U) leader said both Anant and Anand met Nitish in connection with tickets for their wives and son to contest the polls, as they are not sure to get favour from Lalu’s RJD. “In realpolitik, we have to make some compromise by giving tickets to the relatives of Bahubalis despite knowing their past,” the JD(U) leader said.

Ashok Mahto, a convicted gangster, joined the ranks of Bahubali in electoral politics last year when his newlywed wife Anita Kumari Mahto unsuccessfully contested on an RJD ticket from Munger Lok Sabha seat. This time, Ashok is keen to contest, or get a ticket for his wife, from the Warsaliganj Assembly seat in Nawada district.

After being jailed for nearly 17 years, Ashok was released in November 2023 and is trying to make a name in politics. Ashok is popularly known as a champion of backward castes and enjoys an image of a strongman who challenged the dominance of the upper castes in Nawada, Sheikhpura, Munger, and Lakhisarai districts.

Ashok, a Kurmi, which is an agrarian OBC caste, was the main accused in the Apsar massacre in which 12 people belonging to landed upper castes were killed in Nawada district, the killing of five-time Congress MLA and two-time MP Rajo Singh (in 2005), and the Nawada jailbreak incident of 2001. The web series Khakee was loosely based on his life.

Pappu Yadav, an independent Lok Sabha member from Purnea, who was acquitted in the murder of CPI-M leader Ajit Sarkar, is lobbying for a ticket from the Congress for his son to contest polls. His wife Ranjita Ranjan is a Congress Rajya Sabha MP.

There seems to be no escaping the infamous Bahubali legacy for Bihar, at least in the upcoming Assembly elections.