31 January 1990… The festival of Saraswati Puja was going on at Chhata Chowk, Muzaffarpur at around 5 pm. Idols of Mother Saraswati were being sold in the market and children were worshiping books. Then 45 year old powerful leader Chandeshwar Singh along with his convoy of 10-12 people stopped at a tea stall. During this time, the gang of Bahubali Ashok Samrat arrived. Ashok had in his hand an AK-47 rifle which had been stolen from the Soviet Army and reached India. Suddenly firing started between both the groups. The market echoed with the sound of “Tr-Tr-Tr” and AK-47 was fired for the first time in Bihar. Chandeshwar was hit by 12 bullets and died. This attack was related to electoral rivalry because Chandeshwar was contesting from Muzaffarpur Sadar on Janata Dal ticket and Ashok wanted to break his vote bank.
Something similar is being repeated again in Bihar. On October 30, the convoy of Jansuraj’s candidate Piyush Priyadarshi was attacked in Mokama. In this, RJD leader Dularchand Yadav was shot dead. Earlier, bullets were fired in Arrah and Gaya also. This means that now muscle power and jungle raj have started spreading again in Bihar. Not only this, this time many strongmen have also got tickets in the elections.
So let us understand in ABP Explainer what is the custom of bullets in Bihar politics, how the era of muscle power is returning and which musclemen are contesting the elections this time…
Question 1- What was ‘Jungle Raj’ in Bihar and how did it start in the 1990s?
answer- The term ‘Jungle Raj’ is a dark chapter in the politics of Bihar, which shows the rule of guns and musclemen instead of law. This word was first used by the Patna High Court on August 5, 1997, when the court commented on the bad roads, floods and filth in the state and said, ‘It has become like Jungle Raj.’ But in reality the term became associated with the spate of crimes during Lalu Prasad Yadav’s 1990-2005 rule (including Rabri Devi). Lalu Yadav became the Chief Minister of Bihar on 10 March 1990, when the Janata Dal had won 122 seats. Initially this was a wave of Mandal Commission, but soon it became a nexus of politics and crime.
According to NCRB data, there were 3,900 murders in Bihar in 1990, which increased from 69 election deaths in 1985 to 67 in 1990. The number of kidnappings reached 1,500-2,000 annually. Mostly businessmen, doctors and students were targeted. In 1998 alone, 1,834 kidnappings were recorded. There were more than 9,000 riots annually. This was the era of caste-based gang war. Upper castes (Bhumihar, Rajput) versus backward castes (Yadav). Strongmen like Mohammad Shahabuddin and Pappu Yadav captured the areas. In those times, MLAs themselves used to get kidnapped and police did not even register FIR.
Question 2- What ruckus did the strongmen create in the elections of 1990-2005?
answer- Bahubali was both the hero and villain of Bihar politics. These were the people who came to power through crime and used crime as a shield from power. As soon as elections came, their gangs used to loot booths, threaten voters and commit murders. His profession was to kidnap the MLAs, that is, to dissolve the assembly by kidnapping the opposition MLAs. According to reports based on NCRB, CBI reports and court judgments,
- Mohammad Shahabuddin (‘Saheb’ of Siwan): Shahabuddin, born in 1967, became RJD MP four times from 1996-2009. He was Lalu’s right hand. In 1998, he slapped Siwan DSP Sanjeev Kumar when he had gone to arrest Shahab’s henchman Manoj Pandey. His name cropped up in the murder of CPI(ML) leader Chhotan Shukla in 1999. But the most infamous crime occurred on June 3, 1999, when acid was thrown on Siwan’s Lalu Tiwari and his two sons. CBI filed charge sheet in 2003 and life imprisonment was given in 2007. Shahab ran Kangaroo Court in Siwan i.e. fixing prices and punishing enemies. He died in jail in 2016. Shahabuddin’s son Osama Shahab is contesting from Raghunathpur from RJD in 2025.
- Pappu Yadav: Born in 1967 in Katihar of Madhepura district, Pappu ran the Yadav gang against the Rajputs of Kosi region in the 1990s. In 1991, he was with Anand Mohan in the anti-Mandal protests and got booth capturing done in the elections. In 1998, he was jailed for the murder of CPI leader Ajit Sarkar and was acquitted in 2013. There are 26 criminal cases registered against Pappu Yadav, which range from murder to kidnapping.
- Anand Mohan Singh (Rajput Bahubali of Saharsa): In 1991, demonstrations were organized against Lalu and Mandal Commission. On March 16, 1994, DM of Gopalganj G. Lynched Krishnaiah. When he instigated the crowd at Chhotan Shukla’s funeral, the crowd beat the DM to death. Shauhar won the Lok Sabha in 1996. CBI gave life sentence in 2007. 47 cases have been registered against Anand, which include murder and kidnapping. In 2023, when Nitish government changed the jail rules, Anand was released.
- Ashoka Samrat (Bhumihar Don): In 1990, Chandeshwar Singh’s convoy was attacked with AK-47 in Muzaffarpur, resulting in 10 deaths. Ashok Refinery was known for extortion. Killed by police in Barani encounter on 5 January 1995. This was the first major action under Lalu Raj.
- Brij Bihari Prasad: Bahubali, a businessman from Champaran-Muzaffarpur, who became a minister in the RJD government. Chhotan Shukla was murdered in 1994. In return, on June 13, 1998, Shriprakash Shukla shot him with an AK-47 at IGIMS Hospital, Patna. In 2024, the Supreme Court gave life imprisonment to Munna Shukla.
- Dularchand Yadav: Dularchand, known as the strongman of Mokama, was shot dead on 30 October 2025. He was an ally of Lalu, but was against Anant Singh. Anant’s brother was defeated by Dilip Singh in the 1990 elections. This murder became the first major incident of the 2025 elections.
- Anant Singh (small government): Anant, known as Dhanuk Bahubali of Mokama, has been active since the 1990s and does booth looting along with brother Dilip. There are 28 criminal cases registered against Anant, which also include murder and arms smuggling. In 2022, he has been sentenced to 10 years in AK-47 case. Now he is also an accused in the Dularchand murder case.
- Surajbhan Singh (Bhumihar Baahubali): Worked with Anant’s brother Dilip in the 1980s but then became enemies. Defeated Dilip by contesting independent elections in 2000. Surajbhan has 26 cases registered against him including murder and kidnapping. In 2009, Surajbhan was proved guilty in the 1998 Brij Bihari murder case but was acquitted by the High Court in 2014. This strongman used to get MLAs elected in elections. In the 2000 Hung Assembly, Suraj Bhan had got the opposition MLAs kidnapped.
Question 3- How did Nitish Kumar stop the strongmen after 2005?
answer- Nitish Kumar came to power in 2005 with NDA. He promised ‘good governance’. Sent 1 lakh criminals to jail. During Nitish’s tenure, crime fell by 60%. According to NCRB, there were 3,400 murders in 2005, which came down to 2,800 in 2010. Shahabuddin, Anand Mohan, Prabhunath Singh went to jail. However, crime increased again in 2020-2025. In the 2020 report of NCRB, the crime rate reached 445.9 per lakh population and violent crimes increased. In 2024, 3.52 lakh cases were registered in Bihar.
Question 4- Which strongmen did the parties give tickets for in Bihar elections 2025 and why?
answer- In 2025, parties are giving tickets to strongmen directly or indirectly…
- JDU is contesting elections on 101 seats. The party has given tickets to 20-25% tainted candidates. There are 3 main Bahubali. Anant Singh, Amrendra Kumar Pandey alias Pappu Pandey and Manoranjan Prasad Singh alias Dhumal Singh. The party has focused on vote banks like Dhanuk-Musahar for muscle power.
- RJD gave tickets to 70% tainted candidates. Despite the Jungle Raj image, Lalu-Tejashwi emphasized on familyism and Bahubali legacy. 60% candidates have serious cases registered against them. Tejashwi Yadav himself is also included in these. Apart from these, names like Veena Devi, Bima Bharti, Ritlal Yadav, Osama Shahab, Karanveer Singh alias Lallu Mukhiya, Bogo Singh and Annu Shukla are included.
- 56% of BJP’s list is tainted, which includes names like Vijay Kumar Sinha, Aruna Devi, Ram Kripal Yadav, Sunil Kumar and Vishal Prashant.
- LJP (Ram Vilas) gave tickets to 10 to 15 strongmen, which include names like Hulas Pandey and Rajeev Sanjan alias Sonu Singh. Cases ranging from kidnapping to murder are registered against them.
- Apart from this, HAM’s Alok Singh, RLM’s Upendra Kushwaha’s wife Snehlata and independent Pappu Yadav are also candidates.
Giving tickets to these strongmen has become a ‘practical choice’. According to reports by ADR and Bihar Election Watch, parties choose musclemen because they bring the ‘winning factor’…
1. Muscle Power and Booth Management: Bahubali is expert in election violence, booth capturing and intimidating voters. On October 14, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in Patna, ‘The reality of Bihar elections has to be kept in mind. The winning ability of the candidate is the main factor in distributing tickets.
2. Control of caste vote bank: After the caste survey of 2023 in Bihar, the war for vote bank is intensifying. Bahubali can bring 80-90% votes of his caste. According to media reports, Bahubali is now making his son and daughter-in-law contest the elections because it is necessary to save the caste vote bank. Anant Singh is consolidating Dhanuk votes for JDU in Mokama.
3. Dynastic Politics and Saving Heritage: If Baahubali himself cannot contest the elections, then the family gets the ticket. Dynasty politics dominates in Bihar. Despite protests, parties are giving tickets to families. Political analyst Sanjay Kumar says, ‘This is the curse of Bihar politics. Parties are making nepotism a weapon of victory.
4. Electoral Tension and Winner-Takes-All: There is a direct contest between NDA and Grand Alliance on 243 seats. In such a situation, the parties do not want to take risks. In 2000, Nitish got the support of powerful MLAs Surajbhan Singh and Sunil Pandey from jail, which is still relevant. Parties know that without muscle power it is difficult to handle the voters in Bihar. But this is a threat to democracy.
Question 5- So has Jungle Raj like 1990 returned again?
answer- Yes. There are indications of this. On October 30, Ara Pramod Kushwaha and his son Priyanshu Kushwaha were shot dead. Pramod Kushwaha was a sweets shopkeeper. Apart from this, he was also a worker of Rashtriya Lok Morcha Party. This murder is being linked to the elections.
On October 30, Dularchand murder took place in Mokama and Anant Singh was accused of murder. Earlier on October 29, Jinram Manjhi’s HAM Party candidate Dr. Anil Kumar Singh was attacked in Tikari, Gayaji, in which his hand was broken. He had gone for election campaign in his assembly constituency. Meanwhile, the people of the village pelted stones at Anil Singh. Giving his statement, he said, ‘A conspiracy was hatched to murder me, if I had not left the place before time, I would have been murdered. Many people accompanying me have been injured. There were about 50 people among the attackers, but within a short time 500 people arrived.
On the same day, stones were pelted at Tej Pratap Yadav’s convoy in Saran. Tej Pratap had to face huge opposition and embarrassment in Mehnar assembly constituency of Vaishali. Supporters of his own party fiercely opposed his convoy, raised slogans of ‘Tejashwi Yadav Zindabad’ and ‘Lalten Chhap Zindabad’ and even pelted stones.
According to political experts, murders and muscle power increase a lot during elections in Bihar. A similar scene is being seen this time also. There are still about 2 weeks left for the elections. Till then the administration should increase strictness. Otherwise, democracy will continue to be torn to pieces in Bihar.