Battleground Mokama: A murder, old rivalries, and the fight for Bihar's most volatile seat

The battle for the Mokama seat will be keenly watched after the incident on Thuirsday. (Representational image)

The killing of Dularchand Yadav in Mokama on Thursday has reignited one of Bihar's oldest and fiercest political rivalries, casting a long shadow over the upcoming 2025 Assembly elections. What began as a local campaign event has now spiralled into a political storm that underscores how, in parts of Bihar, the line between crime and politics remains perilously thin.

The incident occurred in Basawan Chak village of Mokama when a campaign convoy for Jan Suraaj candidate Piyush Priyadarshi was attacked amid stone pelting. Dularchand Yadav, once a close aide of Lalu Prasad Yadav who recently aligned with Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj party, was shot and then run over by a vehicle.

The police have named Anant Singh, the JD(U) strongman known locally as "Chhote Sarkar", among the accused. Singh, however, insists he is being framed and has blamed his old rival Surajbhan Singh, whose wife Veena Devi is the RJD candidate from Mokama.

The murder has turned Mokama, a semi-rural constituency on the outskirts of Patna which has long symbolised Bihar's "bahubali" politics where personal fiefdoms, caste loyalties, and raw muscle power intersect, into the epicentre of Bihar's election.

Dularchand Yadav, once a confidante to both RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar, was famous for straddling the competing worlds of politics and local power games. Known for his loud voice in regional folk songs and for mentoring grassroots candidates, Yadav stood as a kingmaker in the Mokama Tal area. While he was not contesting the election himself this year, but had thrown his weight behind the Jan Suraj Party candidate from the seat.

The political narrative of the Mokama region has been long dominated by Anant Singh and Surajbhan Singh, who have both traded power and prison terms in near equal measure. In 1990, Dularchand himself once faced defeat against Anant Singh's brother in a closely contested contest. His murder now reopens those old wounds and forces voters to re-examine which leaders can truly deliver for the region.

Anant Singh, the sitting JDU MLA, enjoys cult-like status, tempered by a history of criminal allegations and followers who view elections as a fight to preserve turf. On the other side stands Veena Devi of RJD, wife of another local strongman, Surajbhan. Her candidacy is a calculated gambit by RJD to consolidate the influential Bhumihar vote.

The third player, Piyush Priyadarshi, is a fresh face, but his backing by both the Jan Suraj Party and Dularchand Yadav's loyalists positions him as the 'reformer' in a contest otherwise defined by reputation and muscle. The return of violence just days before the polls has also revived memories of the 1990s, when Bihar's elections were synonymous with booth capturing and bloodshed.

Mokama's significance extends far beyond its geography, which makes Thursday's incident pivotal in elections this year as well as one of the most closely watched constituencies. With its mix of Yadav, Koeri, Dalit, and EBC voters, retaining Mokama is crucial for the JD(U) and the NDA, and critical to preserving Nitish Kumar's credibility on governance and law and order.

For the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan, a win in Mokama would signal a reclaiming of old territory and a symbolic blow to Nitish's claim of "sushasan".

With Jan Suraaj's entry adding a new dimension to this rivalry, the killing of Dularchand Yadav, one of its prominent campaigners, allows it to frame itself as a victim of the entrenched political-criminal nexus. Piyush Priyadarshi has accused the ruling alliance of intimidation, while the JD(U) insists it is being targeted through "fabricated cases."

The tragedy has also brought caste politics back into sharper focus. While Yadav voters have traditionally leaned toward the RJD, EBCs and Koeris remain Nitish Kumar's strongest base. Both alliances are now battling to hold on to these groups, even as Mokama's migrant voters, many of whom return from Delhi, Gujarat and Maharashtra during elections and hold the potential to tip the scales.

Opposition leaders argue that the murder exposes the failure of the Nitish government's much-touted governance model, while JD(U) counters that the investigation will proceed "without political bias".

Behind the rhetoric, however, lies a deeper question — can Bihar's politics truly move past its history of muscle and caste? Or will the 2025 elections reaffirm old patterns under a new guise? The jury is out and the outcome will be known come November 14.