The Supreme Court order of last July, barring convicted persons from contesting elections, seems to have given rise to a new order in politics in Bihar. This can be gauged from the new saying circulating in the political corridors: behind every don-turned-politician there is a wife.
These wives are scripting a new story of women empowerment, albeit not the desired one, in Bihar.
As many as six wives of don-politicians are contesting the ongoing Lok Sabha elections as “dummy candidates” for their husbands, while some of the husbands cool their heels in jail (see table for list of such candidates).
| Politician | Wife | Party | Status | Constituency | Date of poll |
| Shahabudin | Heena Shahab | RJD | In Jail | Siwan | May 12 |
| Surajbhan SIngh | Veena Devi | LJP | In Jail | Munger | April 17 |
| Munna Shukla | Annu Shukla | Independent | In Jail | vaishali | May 12 |
| Pappu Yadav | Ranjeeta Yadav | RJD | Exonerated | Supaul | April 24 |
| Anand Mohan | Lovely Anand | SP | In Jail | Sheohar | May 7 |
| Ranveer Yadav | Krishna Yadav Poonam Devi |
JD(U) for MP RJD MLA |
Convicted, served sentence | Khagaria | April 30 |
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