JD(U) MLA from Mokama, Anant Singh, has publicly declared his opposition to party colleague Neeraj Kumar in the upcoming Patna Graduate constituency Legislative Council election, pledging to deploy his full political resources to ensure Kumar's defeat. The announcement, made on 18 September 2026 in Patna, marks an open intra-party rupture ahead of one of Bihar's closely watched upper house contests.

The Defiance and Its Justification

Speaking to journalists, Singh argued that his stand did not constitute acting against the Janata Dal (United), pointing out that Legislative Council elections are not contested on the party's official election symbol. He has extended his backing to associate Anuj Kumar Singh, who is expected to contest the Patna Graduate seat as an independent candidate. During a visit to Bedhna village in Barh, Singh said voters across all Assembly segments under the constituency would rally behind Anuj Kumar Singh.

Allegations Against Neeraj Kumar

Singh levelled a series of charges against Neeraj Kumar, alleging that Kumar had worked against him in all four Assembly elections in which he had contested, and had also sought to undermine senior JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh, widely known as Lalan Singh. Singh further alleged that Kumar's opposition had compelled him to contest the 2015 Assembly election as an independent candidate. In a sharper accusation — which has not been independently verified — Singh alleged that Kumar was responsible for a case involving the alleged planting of an AK-47 at his residence, which he claimed led to his arrest and imprisonment. Singh also challenged Kumar to submit to a narco-analysis test, a demand Kumar did not directly address.

JD(U)'s Reconciliation Attempt

The public spat prompted a JD(U) internal meeting led by Nishant Kumar in an effort to broker peace between the two leaders. Singh did not speak to the media after attending the meeting. The party subsequently claimed that a reconciliation had been reached, though the durability of that truce remains unclear given the sharpness of Singh's earlier remarks.

Neeraj Kumar's Response

Incumbent JD(U) MLC Neeraj Kumar noted that the party had not yet formally announced him as its candidate for the Patna Graduate seat. Responding to questions about the independent challenge from Anuj Singh, Kumar emphasised that in elections with strong organisational dimensions, the deployment of polling agents and party machinery are decisive factors — an implicit reference to his own support base.

The Larger Contest

The Patna Graduate constituency election has drawn several contestants, with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) having already announced its candidate and Jan Suraaj also entering the fray. The unresolved question over JD(U)'s final candidate — combined with Anant Singh's open backing for an independent — has added a volatile dimension to what was already a competitive contest. How the alliance dynamics within Bihar's ruling coalition respond to this friction will be worth watching as the election approaches.