Patna: The dramatic arrest of Anant Singh — known in Bihar’s political folklore as Chhote Sarkar — has transformed the 2025 Mokama election into one of the state’s most gripping contests. With Singh back in jail just weeks after launching his campaign, the responsibility of preserving his political fiefdom has once again fallen to his wife, Neelam Devi, who has repeatedly stepped in to fill the power vacuum left by her husband’s imprisonments.
In Anant Singh’s absence, Neelam Devi is expected to lead the campaign, rally supporters, and manage the network that keeps Mokama’s political machinery running. A familiar figure on the campaign trail, she has long balanced the dual roles of political proxy and family anchor in one of Bihar’s most turbulent constituencies.
Her political journey began in 2019, when she contested the Munger Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket with RJD support, securing over 3.6 lakh votes despite her defeat. The turning point came in 2022, when she won the Mokama by-election on an RJD ticket after Anant Singh’s conviction under the UAPA Act cost him his assembly seat.
Yet her husband’s release in August 2025 disrupted the fragile balance. Anant Singh, seeking a political comeback, dismissed her record, declaring she “didn’t connect with the public.” Now, fate has reversed his decision.
As Singh sits in jail, accused in the murder of RJD leader Dularchand Yadav, Neelam Devi is poised to reclaim the political stage — this time not as a placeholder, but as the matriarch defending an empire. In Mokama’s charged political theatre, her re-emergence marks not just a return to campaigning, but a test of endurance, loyalty, and legacy.
