Anant Singh row: JD(U) presses Speaker for disqualification, gets assurance of quick action

The Janata Dal (United) on Monday (October 26, 2026) renewed its demand that Mokama MLA Anant Singh be disqualified from the Bihar Assembly, two days after the party expelled him, and said the Speaker's office had assured it of "quick action".

State JD(U) president Umesh Kushwaha visited the office of Assembly Speaker Prem Kumar in Patna to enquire about the status of the party's request to rescind Mr. Singh's membership of the House. The Speaker was not present, and the Assembly secretary told Mr. Kushwaha that the matter would be dealt with promptly, the party leader said.

"We had submitted evidence against his anti-party activities to the Speaker's office on Sunday, October 25. Today I had come to know the status of action on our request to rescind Mr. Singh's membership of the House, but since Speaker Prem Kumar was not in the office, the Assembly secretary assured me that quick action will be taken," Mr. Kushwaha told journalists on the Assembly premises.

He added that "the party runs on discipline" and that reporters were aware of what Mr. Singh had been saying and doing in recent days. Party sources said the JD(U) had submitted 10 pages of evidence and a video CD to the Speaker's office, along with the expulsion letter.

On October 24, the ruling JD(U) expelled Mr. Singh and his wife, former MLA Neelam Devi, from the party for six years for "anti-party activities", and sought his disqualification from the Assembly.

The immediate trigger was the recently concluded Legislative Council elections for eight seats, in which Mr. Singh campaigned for the Opposition candidate, Anuj Kumar Singh, in the Patna Graduates' constituency instead of the party's official nominee, Neeraj Kumar. The results were scheduled to be declared on October 23.

After his expulsion, Mr. Singh told journalists that he still honoured JD(U) president and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, but argued that Mr. Kumar was no longer in command of the party. He said the JD(U) was "finished" and would not win even 10 seats in the next Assembly elections. He added that he would not join another party, and would instead launch his own.

Acting on the party's recommendation, the State government on Monday removed Ms. Devi from the committee overseeing implementation of the 20-point programme, a position that had given her the status of a Deputy Minister. Later, the Building Construction Department served a notice on her to vacate the official bungalow at 1, Mall Road, Patna — where Mr. Singh has also been living — by November 25, 2026.

The developments mark a sharp rupture between the JD(U) and one of its better-known MLAs from the Mokama constituency in Patna district. Expulsion from a party does not, by itself, remove a legislator from the House. Under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which deals with defection, a member can be disqualified if he or she voluntarily gives up membership of a party, or votes or abstains contrary to the party's direction. The decision rests with the presiding officer of the House, and the member concerned is entitled to be heard.

The JD(U) is a constituent of the National Democratic Alliance and leads the coalition government in Bihar. The Speaker's office has not given a specific date for a decision. Until then, Mr. Singh remains a member of the Assembly.