Anant Singh is no ordinary legislator as locals rarely use his given name. They call him ‘Chhote Sarkar’, or little lord, because in the Barh and Mokama belt his word has often counted for more than the government’s. His story begins with his elder brother, Dilip Singh, who won as an independent and became a minister in Lalu Prasad’s cabinet during its first term, from 1990 to 1995.
