Mokama is a town with the administrative status of a block under Barh subdivision of Bihar’s Patna district. It has traditionally been the gateway to North Bihar due to the existence of a rail-cum-road bridge called Rajendra Setu. It was the only such bridge from 1959 until 1982 when the Gandhi Setu, a road bridge connecting Patna with Hajipur, was opened. The recently constructed rail-cum-road bridge JP Setu, connecting Digha in Patna with Sonpur town of Saran district, has taken the load off the Rajendra Setu and reduced Mokama’s importance somewhat.
Situated on the southern bank of the Ganga about 85 km from Patna, Mokama's nearest towns are Barh (25 km), Barauni (19 km) and Begusarai (30 km). This Assembly constituency falls under the Munger Lok Sabha seat, located 55 km away.
Mokama holds a distinguished place in India's freedom struggle. Revolutionary Prafulla Chaki, an associate of Khudiram Bose, was martyred here after their failed 1908 attempt to assassinate British magistrate Douglas Kingsford in Muzaffarpur. The 19-year-old Chaki chose suicide over capture at Mokama Ghat railway station. The town's Shaheed Gate commemorates his sacrifice. Mahatma Gandhi's 1942 visit further inspired local participation in the independence movement.
Once among Bihar's early industrial hubs, Mokama remains India's second-largest lentil producer, with several small-scale industries providing local employment.
Established in 1951, the Mokama Assembly constituency comprises Ghoswari and Mokama blocks along with 11 Gram Panchayats from Pandarak block. Its politics mirrors the Ganga's polluted waters – dominated since 1990 by bahubalis (criminals turned politicians). The trend began with the dreaded criminal Dilip Kumar 'Bade Sarkar' Singh (Janata Dal, 1990 and 1995), who was even a minister between 1995 and 2020 while Lalu Prasad Yadav and later his wife Rabri Devi served as chief ministers. He was followed by Surajbhan Singh (Independent, 2000) who defeated ‘Bade Sarkar’, and since 2005 by Anant Kumar 'Chhote Sarkar' Singh won five consecutive terms (three with JD(U), then as Independent and RJD candidate). Remarkably, he won the 2020 election while incarcerated, though subsequent disqualification for illegal AK-47 possession necessitated a 2022 bypoll won by his wife Nilam Devi (RJD).
Recently released after the gun case discharge (though numerous charges remain), Anant Singh has gravitated back toward Nitish Kumar's JD(U) once again. His probable 2025 candidature appears formidable, with even the BJP unlikely to oppose him given his influence beyond Mokama. The constituency's electoral history shows Congress leading with 7 wins, followed by Independents (3), JD(U) (3), Janata Dal (2), RJD (2) and Republican Party of India (1).
Mokama's voter registry grew from 275,028 (2020) to 290,513 (2024). The 2020 breakdown showed 16.7 percent Scheduled Castes and 2.3 percent Muslims, with Rajputs (estimated 14.3 percent) forming Anant Singh's core base and Yadavs constituting about 24 percent. Turnout remains consistent in the mid-50 percent range (54.07 percent in 2020). While Anant Singh won by 35,757 votes in 2020, his wife's 2022 margin narrowed to 16,741. Interestingly, RJD led by 1,079 votes here during JD(U)'s 2024 Lok Sabha victory in Munger.
As 2025 polls approach, Mokama faces its perennial question: Will voters continue their 35-year pattern of electing under the shadow of fear, or will this election mark a departure?
(Ajay Jha)
