In a surprising turn of events that has sparked widespread discussions, 62-year-old Ashok Mahto, a convicted criminal who walked free after spending 17 years in jail, tied the knot to a woman 16 years younger than him. The story could have gone unnoticed had it not been for Mahto’s alleged plans to get his newly-wed wife to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Munger on a Rashtriya Janata Dal ticket.
Munger happens to be the same constituency where the anticipated entry of Rajiv Ranjan Singh, alias Lalan Singh, former national president of the Janata Dal (United), is said to be imminent.
Mahto’s decision to solemnise the marriage, which took no longer than two days, came amidst fears of his own Lok Sabha nomination being revoked. A convicted criminal, the law bars him from contesting elections for six years following the end of his sentence.
Mahto, accused in several serious cases including the Nawada jailbreak, the murder of MP Raju Singh, the massacre in Sheikhpura’s Manipur, the massacre in Nawada’s Apsardh, and the BDPO murder, was released from jail on December 10, 2023.
Local media reports suggest that Mahto expressed his desire to contest Lok Sabha elections to RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav. According to Mahto, the RJD supremo gave his approval for the election bid. However, Mahto was apprehensive that his nomination might be cancelled, and got married within two days. Notably, the RJD has denied making any such commitment to Mahto and said that alliance talks were still underway between Mahagathbandhan partners.
Mahto tied the knot with Anita, a 46-year-old resident of Bansipur Hemrajpur in Suryagarha block of Lakhisarai. She works at a private firm in Delhi. In the 2019 elections, Lalan Singh from JD(U) emerged victorious from Munger against RJD’s Neelam Devi, wife of Anant Singh. Neelam Devi had pledged her allegiance to JD(U) on the day of the Bihar trust vote after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar switched sides to rejoin the NDA and form a government with the BJP in the state.
