Three RJD MLAs cross-vote in Bihar trust vote, kin of two ‘bahubalis’ among them

As the Nitish Kumar government sailed through to a 129-0 majority in the trust vote on Monday after Opposition MLAs staged a walkout, three Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLAs and one from the Janata Dal (United)grabbed the limelight.

While the RJD’s Sheohar MLA Chetan Anand, Mokama legislator Neelam Devi, and five-time Suryagarha MLA Prahlad Yadav cross-voted for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the JD(U)’s Sitamarhi MLA Dilip Ray was the lone ruling alliance member to skip the floor test.

First-time MLA Chetan is the son of former MP and political strongman Anand Mohan. He contested the 2020 Assembly polls on an RJD ticket after being denied candidature by other parties. Speculation about him was rife after the Patna Police on Sunday night arrived at former Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav’s residence following a missing person complaint filed by Chetan’s brother Anshuman Anand.

Anand Mohan is said to have grown to close CM Nitish Kumar after the state government last year ordered his early release from jail, where he was lodged after being convicted in the lynching of former Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah. After his release, the former MP invited Nitish to his village Panchgachiya in Saharsa district. Sources said either Anand Mohan or his wife Lovely could end up contesting the Lok Sabha seat. Despite the possibility of Chetan being disqualified from the Assembly, Anand Mohan is likely to take it in his stride for bettering his own political prospects.

Neelam Devi is the wife of Mokama “bahubali” and former MLA Anant Singh. She was elected Mokama MLA on an RJD ticket in a 2022 bypoll necessitated by the conviction of her husband. Though she represented the RJD in the House, she was known for her inclination