PATNA, Oct. 16 -- The public feud between JD(U) leaders Anant Kumar Singh and Neeraj Kumar intensified on Thursday, a week before the October 23 Bihar Legislative Council elections, with the Mokama MLA threatening to take the "gas" out of his party colleague on polling day. The spat has added to the ruling NDA's challenges as both it and the opposition INDIA bloc grapple with dissent and competing candidates across the eight graduates' and teachers' constituencies. Counting is scheduled for October 27. Anant's remarks came a day after Neeraj mocked him as Pudina Singh', a reference to mint, commonly used to ease bloating and digestive discomfort. On Thursday, Neeraj said Anant had accepted the nickname and urged journalists to use it instead of his official name. "If you don't call him so, you will be held a 'gunahgaar' (culprit)," he told reporters. The exchange has put the JD(U) in an awkward position ahead of the polls. Anant is openly campaigning against Neeraj, the party's official candidate from Patna Graduates', who is seeking a fourth consecutive term. He has instead pledged support to Jan Suraaj Party candidate Anuj Singh. The dispute goes beyond the immediate contest. Anant has accused Neeraj of working against him in four elections and alleged that he played a role in implicating him in a 2019 AK-47 case. The allegations remain Anant's claims. Neeraj, in turn, has accused the Mokama MLA of opposing health minister Nishant Kumar, son of JD(U) president Nitish Kumar, and making objectionable remarks against the senior leader. Anant declared support for Anuj on September 19. During the latter's nomination campaign on October 1, he said he wanted to repay Neeraj "in the same coin". He reiterated his stand on October 9, despite an intervention by senior JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh. On October 14, Anant led a roadshow in Nalanda in support of Anuj and told voters at Magra in Biharsharif that they would "deflate" Neeraj in the election. Neeraj has maintained that the party remains united and that voters will decide the outcome. JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha tasked Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh with resolving the dispute after efforts to contain the feud at the party's state headquarters failed. Lalan initially said he would not mediate unless both leaders were willing to settle their differences. He later acknowledged Anant's grievances over the alleged campaign against him during the 2025 Assembly elections and the state leadership's failure to intervene in time. "If there has been an action, there will be a reaction," Lalan said, adding that "clapping cannot be done with one hand". Lalan said Anant had agreed to stop making public statements against Neeraj that could damage the party. But the understanding failed to produce a reconciliation. Anant has refused to campaign for Neeraj and continues to back Anuj, with his latest remarks underscoring the limits of the intervention. The BJP and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM), both NDA constituents, are also facing dissent over candidate selection. The BJP on October 12 suspended two leaders for six years for contesting as Independents against the alliance's official nominee, JD(U)'s Anand Pushkar, in Saran Teachers constituency'. Those suspended were Rahul Singh, a BJP state executive committee member from Saran, and Ramendra Rai, the party's former state convenor of its intellectual cell from Siwan. The action followed the RLM's suspension of its state general secretary and spokesperson Ram Pukar Sinha for six years for filing an Independent nomination from the same constituency. Sinha's candidature has exposed divisions within the smaller ally, with three of its four MLAs backing him despite the party leadership's support for Pushkar. RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha has maintained that the party remains aligned with the NDA. The opposition INDIA bloc is facing its own coordination problems. The RJD and Congress have fielded candidates against each other in Patna Teachers', Patna Graduates' and Darbhanga Graduates'. The RJD has nominated Dr Sanjeev Kumar Singh from Patna Teachers', Dilip Kumar from Patna Graduates' and Anil Kumar Jha from Darbhanga Graduates'. The Congress has fielded Sanjay Yadav, Asadullah Khan and Rajnikant Pathak, respectively. The RJD has left Darbhanga Teachers' for Congress leader and sitting MLC Madan Mohan Jha, and Tirhut Teachers' for sitting CPI MLC Sanjay Kumar Singh. The competing nominations, however, have complicated the contest despite the parties' broader alliance. The October 23 elections cover four graduates' and four teachers' constituencies. Under the NDA's seat-sharing arrangement, the BJP and JD(U) are contesting four seats each. The BJP has fielded Nawal Kishore Yadav from Patna Teachers', Narendra Prasad Singh from Tirhut Teachers', Dr Narendra Kumar Yadav from Kosi Graduates' and Sarvesh Kumar from Darbhanga Graduates'. The JD(U)'s candidates are Neeraj Kumar from Patna Graduates', Abhishek Jha from Tirhut Graduates', Anand Pushkar from Saran Teachers' and Ghanshyam Rai from Darbhanga Teachers'. "We have appointed district-wise in-charges and mobilised NDA teams to reach out to voters directly. Our party workers have been asked to collect voters' mobile numbers during the outreach drive so they can follow up and ensure voter turnout on polling day. We are aiming to win all eight seats," BJP state spokesperson Prem Ranjan Patel said. The NDA is seeking to defend the three constituencies it won in 2020: Kosi Graduates' and Patna Teachers' for the BJP, and Patna Graduates' for the JD(U). Subsequent by-elections and changes in representation have altered the contest in some other seats. Implementation of the Seventh Central Pay Commission recommendations for teachers is among the key issues in the four teachers' constituencies, which together have 40,253 voters. Patna has 11,719 voters, Tirhut 8,760, Darbhanga 9,026 and Saran 10,748. "The polls will test both alliances' ability to manage local rivalries and enforce coordination among their constituents. For the JD(U), the public confrontation between Anant and Neeraj poses an immediate challenge as it seeks to retain Patna Graduates' while containing the fallout within the wider NDA," said Prof Gyanendra Yadav of the department of sociology, College of Commerce Arts and Science in Patna. CPI(M) MLA flays education minister's alleged threat over teachers' pay Meanwhile, CPI(M) MLA Ajay Kumar has condemned Bihar education minister Mithilesh Tiwari for allegedly threatening to deny teachers the benefits of the Seventh Pay Commission if they did not vote for ruling NDA candidates in the Legislative Council elections. In a statement on Thursday, Kumar accused the minister of trying to influence the Tirhut Teachers' constituency poll through threats over pay benefits and inducements. He described the alleged remarks as an attack on the Constitution and said the NDA was rattled by the prospect of defeat. "Teachers will not be intimidated by such statements," Kumar said, claiming that the NDA's defeat in the Legislative Council elections was certain. He also claimed that CPI(M) candidate Ramdev Rai was receiving strong support in the Darbhanga Teachers' constituency and appealed to teachers to vote against the NDA candidate. "The polls will test both alliances' ability to manage local rivalries and enforce coordination among their constituents. For the JD(U), the public confrontation between Anant and Neeraj poses an immediate challenge as it seeks to retain Patna Graduates' while containing the fallout within the wider NDA," said Gyanendra Yadav of the department of sociology, College of Commerce Arts and Science in Patna....