JD(U) Bihar chief Umesh Kushwaha denies rift between Anant Singh and Neeraj Kumar Singh

Janata Dal (United) Bihar president Umesh Kushwaha on Monday (September 21, 2026) rejected suggestions of a rift within the party, saying there were no differences between its legislators and that the leadership was monitoring the situation.

Speaking to reporters in Patna, Mr. Kushwaha said no party leader could make statements that damage the organisation's standing. His remarks followed days of public sparring between two ruling-party legislators — Anant Singh, the party's MLA from the Mokama Assembly constituency, and Neeraj Kumar Singh, a four-time MLC representing the Patna Graduate constituency.

The dispute has surfaced ahead of elections to eight Bihar Legislative Council seats, four each in the Teachers' and Graduates' categories, whose incumbents' terms end on November 16, 2026. The JD(U) is yet to name its candidates, though it is expected to field Mr. Neeraj Kumar Singh again from his seat. The RJD has announced six candidates, while the newly launched Jan Suraaj Party named five on September 20. Poll dates are expected to be announced by the end of September.

Mr. Anant Singh has said he will oppose Mr. Neeraj Kumar Singh's candidature and instead back Anuj Singh, a political newcomer. He has accused his party colleague of conspiring against him in the Assembly election and of implicating him in criminal cases, including a 2019 AK-47 recovery case in which he was jailed. On September 18, at a JD(U) orientation programme for legislators in Patna, he said he would ensure Mr. Neeraj Kumar Singh's defeat and challenged him to a narco analysis test.

Mr. Neeraj Kumar Singh, also a party spokesperson, countered by pointing to Mr. Anant Singh's criminal record and said he feared no one while Nitish Kumar remained on the scene and his son Nishant Kumar led the party. He said he had always abided by the leadership's decisions and that no candidate list had been finalised. Campaigning in Patna's Phulwarisharief area on September 19, he noted that narco analysis tests are typically ordered by courts, and remarked that Mr. Anant Singh would be unable to write a bail bond on paper.

Mr. Anant Singh responded that he accepted he was unlettered and could not write it down, but would still ensure his rival's defeat. Both leaders belong to the Bhumihar community, and party leaders have consistently denied any internal rift.