Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Have ‘Bahubalis’ of Bihar cracked the formula to retain fiefdom?

Barred from contesting elections, Bihar’s convicted criminal-turned-politicians are banking on a time-tested method to cling to power. While rules bar convicted individuals jailed for over two years from contesting elections for six years, these ‘Bahubalis’ in Bihar are putting their wives at the forefront in polls in a bid to continue their fiefdom.

Past examples are aplenty in the state, with Lalu Prasad Yadav the prime example of the first such attempt to rule by proxy. Following his conviction and sentencing in the fodder scam in July 1997, Lalu installed his wife Rabri Devi as the Chief Minister of Bihar in a bid to retain control of power in the state.

With Rabri as CM, Lalu continued his rule in Bihar till 2005 when Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) defeated the mighty Rashtriya Janata Dal in the Assembly elections, and the formation of the JD(U)-BJP government in the state.

Rabri Devi’s unlikely ascent to power may have been the first prime example, but it wasn’t solitary. Don-turned-politician Anand Mohan’s wife Lovely Anand has also served as an MP earlier. She is in the fray again from Sheohar on a JD(U) ticket. Mohan was released from prison last year following 16 years of imprisonment for the murder of Gopalganj DM G Krishnaiah in 1994.

Another recent example is that of Nawada strongman Ashok Mahto. Released after a jail term of 17 years in December 2023 in a jailbreak case, Mahto tied the knot with Kumari Anita earlier this month. She secured an RJD ticket from the Munger Lok Sabha constituency within days of her marriage.

Similarly, former Bihar MLA Ramesh Kushwaha has fielded his wife Vijayalaxmi Devi from the Siwan Lok Sabha seat on a JD(U) ticket. Kushwaha, who gained prominence after he filed an FIR against then Siwan don-turned-politician MP Mohammad Shahabuddin, is accused of murdering Shivji Dubey in 1997. An MLA from the Jiradei constituency in Siwan, he was declared an absconder until he surrendered before a local Siwan court in 2015.

The case pertained to the period of his association with the CPI-ML. He later joined the RJD but was expelled before he moved to the Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Morcha and then returned to the JD(U). Incidentally, Kavita Singh, the incumbent MP from the Siwan Lok Sabha constituency is also the wife of don-tunred politician Ajay Singh.

Awadhesh Mandal is another case in point in how politicians with criminal antecedents are securing tickets for their wives to retain their control over power. A Bahubali from Purnia, his wife Bima Bharti is the RJD’s candidate from the Purnia Lok Sabha seat. Bharti, a five-time minister, recently quit the JD(U) before joining the RJD. Her husband is an accused in 12 criminal cases, including those of murder and kidnapping.

Mukesh Yadav, a sitting MLA from Bihar, has also secured a Lok Sabha ticket for his wife Archna Ravidas from the Jamui seat. Archna will take on Arun Bharti from the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) who is also the brother-in-law of party president Chirag Paswan.

There are also cases of Bahubalis getting their wives elected as sarpanches (village heads) as well as MLAs securing Lok Sabha tickets for their wives.