Munger constituency: JD (U) sitting MP Lalan Singh to face gangster Ashok Mahto's wife in Lok Sabha polls

Munger (Bihar) [India], May 11 : Munger, one of Bihar's 40 Lok Sabha constituencies, is considered to be the stronghold of Janata Dal (United) sitting MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, who could face the anti-incumbency factor but this has been dampened by the RJD's controversial choice of candidate.
Anita Devi, an OBC candidate, the wife of gangster Ashok Mahto who was released in November last year from Bhagalpur Central Jail after 17 years, has been fielded by the Rashtriya Janata Dal from Munger hoping to pocket the community's votes along with votes from the Extremely Backward Class (EBC) and Muslims.
Dreaded history-sheeter Ashok Mahto married Anita Devi after coming out of the jail in 2023. This comes after a reported assurance from the RJD that the party will give a ticket to his family member from the Munger Lok Sabha seat, currently held by Lalan Singh from the Bhumihar caste.
Lalan Singh has won this seat twice in the past (in 2009 and 2019). In 2019, RJD had given this seat to the Congress during their alliance then and the party had fielded Nilam Devi, wife of another gangster and former MLA from Mokama, Anant Singh.
Nilam Devi lost the 2019 Lok Sabha polls to Lalan Singh by a huge margin. Lalan Singh polled 528,762 votes with a vote share of 51.00 per cent and defeated Nilam Devi who got 360,825 votes (34.81 per cent).
Later, Anant Singh got convicted and lost his membership of the Assembly in 2022. In the by-poll, RJD fielded Nilam Devi from Mokama and she won, defeating the BJP.
Anant Singh was in jail and this year in February Nilam Devi shifted her allegiance to the NDA during a trust vote in the Bihar assembly. Nilam Devi is now campaigning for Lalan Singh in the constituency.
Anant Singh, popularly known as 'Chhote Sarkar', began his roadshow in the Barh assembly constituency soon after his release from jail, and sought support for the JDU candidate from Munger, Lalan Singh.
Notably, Anant Singh was serving a 10-year prison sentence in Beur jail for violating the Arms Act, after an AK-47 rifle was recovered from his residence in August 2019. An FIR was lodged against him under the newly amended Unlawful Activities (Prevention) (UAPA) Act. The MP-MLA court had sentenced him to 10 years of imprisonment.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, Veena Devi from Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) won the seat and was polled 352,911 votes with a vote share of 38.59 per cent. JD(U) candidate Lalan Singh got 243,827 votes (26.66 per cent) and was the runner-up.
Munger Lok Sabha constituency falls under the General category, and will vote in the fourth phase on May 13. It includes the entire Lakhisarai district, part of Munger district, and part of Patna district.
At present, it comprises six Legislative Assembly segments: Munger and Jamalpur in Munger district, Suryagarha and Lakhisarai in Lakhisarai district, and Mokama and Barh in Patna district.
As per the 2011 census, Munger, encompasses a total population of 13,67,765 individuals. There are 19,27,075 voters, out of which, 22.1 per cent are urban and 77.9 per cent are rural voters.
The literacy rate in the constituency is 56.19 per cent. Scheduled Caste voters comprise 15.1 per cent of the total electors, while Scheduled Tribes form 0.8 per cent of the electors. The constituency is largely Hindu dominant at 94.8 per cent, Muslims constitute 5.1 per cent and Christians form 0.13 per cent.
Munger which is widely known for its historical importance, was earlier known as 'Monghyr', which was the spelling adopted by the early Britishers which continued to be used till the 1971 Census. However, in the recent past it was decided to adopt the Hindi name which could be better spelt as 'Munger'.
The most important of the monuments at Munger is the fort, built on a rocky eminence projecting to the river Ganges which protects it from west and partly from the north, the other sides being defended by a deep moat 175' wide. In 1763, the Nawab of Bengal Mir Qasim made Munger his capital and built an arsenal and several palaces. It was made a municipality in 1864.
Munger is situated on the banks of River Ganga. The Ganga flows through the district from west to east. At Munger proper it flows in northerly direction and assumes special religious significance because of its being Utter -Vahini (north flowing).
The city also known for Sita Manpatthar (Sita charan) Sitacharan temple situated on a boulder in the middle of the Ganges in Munger (Anga Region) is the main center of public faith regarding Chhath festival. It is believed that Mata Sita performed the Chhaith festival in Munger. It was only after this that Chhath Mohaparv started. That is why Chhath Mohaparva is celebrated with great pomp in Munger.
At present the largest industrial concern in the district consists of the workshops of the Eastern Railway at Jamalpur. The next important industrial establishment in the district is the cigarette factory at Munger. The factory is owned by the India Tobacco Company (ITC).
The other interesting industries of Munger are iron and steel works, in particular the manufacture of guns, which dates back to the time when the Nawab Mir Kasim All khan, made the town his headquarters.
In the 2019 election, the BJP-led NDA swept the state by winning 39 out of 40 seats, while Congress won just one seat. RJD, a formidable force in the state, failed to open its account.
Notably, RJD, in alliance with the INDIA bloc, is contesting 26 out of the state's 40 Lok Sabha seats.
As part of the NDA, the BJP and JD(U) are contesting 17 and 16 seats, respectively. Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) is contesting on five seats, and Jitan Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha are contesting on one seat each.