A clash between Jan Suraaj and JD(U) supporters in Bihar's Mokama on Thursday afternoon left 75-year-old Dularchand Yadav dead. The Election Commission has sought a report from the state's DGP, and police have registered four FIRs. The incident occurred a week before the first phase of polling.
In Bihar's volatile Mokama constituency, known for its nexus of crime, politics, and strongmen, convoys of Jan Suraaj candidate Piyush Priyadarshi and JD(U)'s Anant Singh collided near Basawan Chak in Taratar village on Thursday afternoon. Dularchand Yadav, 75, part of the Jan Suraaj group, was shot and then run over by a vehicle, dying at the scene. Around a dozen others were injured in the violence, the first serious incident in the ongoing Bihar elections.
The Election Commission sought a report from Bihar's DGP, while police filed four FIRs, including one against Anant Singh by Dularchand's family and another by Singh's supporters against Jan Suraaj workers. Dularchand, a rare non-Bhumihar to gain prominence in the Bhumihar-dominated seat, had a criminal record dating to 1991, including a murder case where he was co-accused with Nitish Kumar and Dilip Singh; both were later cleared. By 2010, he faced 11 cases involving murder, kidnapping, and extortion.
Tensions escalated as Dularchand switched allegiance to Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj, campaigning for Priyadarshi and criticizing Anant Singh, who has held the seat since 2005 under various banners. Singh, 64, lists over 50 cases since 1979, including a 2019 raid uncovering an AK-47 and grenades, leading to a 2022 UAPA conviction and 10-year sentence; he was acquitted by Patna High Court in 2024. His wife Neelam Devi won the 2022 bypoll on an RJD ticket.
RJD candidate Veena Devi, wife of another strongman Surajbhan Singh with 26 cases including acquittals in high-profile murders, adds to the rivalry that has defined Mokama for decades. Jan Suraaj's campaign focuses on ending such criminality, highlighting education and jobs, but the clash raises doubts. Polling in the first phase is on November 6.