Patna, Nov 14 (IANS) Janata Dal (United) stalwart and political heavyweight Anant Singh has registered his victory from the Mokama Assembly constituency of Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Friday.

According to the Election Commission’s official website, Singh has defeated his main rival, Veena Devi of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), by a margin of over 28,000.

Veena Devi, the wife of Surajbhan Singh, another prominent political figure and rival ‘bahubali’ of Anant Singh, has been defeated.

The third major contender in Mokama, Priyadarshi Piyush of the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), also emerged among the frontrunners but remained behind Singh and Devi.

Anant Singh, who is presently in jail following his arrest in connection with the murder of a JSP supporter, continues to command significant support in his constituency.

Posters have appeared in Mokama reading, “Jail ka faatak tootega, hamara sher chootega (The prison gates will break, our lion will be released)”, reflecting the local excitement over his win.

Political analysts note that Singh’s continued popularity despite his legal troubles underscored his stronghold in Mokama, where caste loyalties and long-standing political influence played a decisive role.

Counting is underway in the remaining Assembly seats, with NDA leading in 202 seats and Mahagathbandhan in only 34, as per the ECI trends till 4.30 p.m.

The polling was held in two phases, on November 6 and 11.

The counting process for all 243 Assembly seats commenced at 8 a.m., beginning with the scrutiny of postal ballots. This was followed by the counting of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) votes from 8.30 a.m., taking place under extensive multi-tier security arrangements across the state.

In the outgoing Assembly, the NDA holds 131 seats, comprising BJP’s 80, JD(U)’s 45, four of HAM(S) and two Independents. The Opposition bloc has 111 seats, with the RJD holding 77, Congress 19, CPI(ML) 11, CPI(M) two and CPI two.

–IANS

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