"Everyone has been invited."
Bihar politician Anant Singh is preparing an extravagant wedding celebration for his daughters, with reports stating that the guest list may cross 400,000.
However, the lavish festivities will be followed by a return to custody, with the Mokama MLA facing a court-ordered surrender in an ongoing murder case just days after the ceremony.
Singh, popularly known as Chhote Sarkar, is overseeing preparations at his ancestral village of Ladma ahead of his daughter Shivangi Singh’s marriage to Rishikesh Kumar on November 25.
The wedding is expected to attract politicians, film stars and thousands of well-wishers, with organisers making arrangements to accommodate an enormous gathering.
Up to 400,000 people are expected to be served food while artisans from Uttar Pradesh have bene brought in to construct elaborate wedding pandals, including a separate enclosure for VIPs.
A 100-foot-long stage is also being built for the bride and groom, with elaborate decorations planned for the occasion.
The celebrations will extend beyond the wedding ceremony, with a horse race offering a Mahindra Thar SUV to the winner and a motorcycle for the runner-up.
Flowers are being sourced from abroad, while cultural performances featuring Bhojpuri, Magahi and Mumbai-based artists are also planned.
Singh intends to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alongside prominent Bihar political figures, including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav.
Actors and performers Sonu Sood, Manoj Tiwari, Maithili Thakur, Akshara Singh and Pawan Singh are also among those invited, although their attendance has not been confirmed.
Singh said: “Everyone has been invited.”
But the celebrations come against the backdrop of serious legal proceedings involving the Bihar politician.
Singh is accused of orchestrating the October 2025 murder of Dular Chand Yadav, who was campaigning for a rival candidate in Mokama at the time.
He was arrested in connection with the case before being released on bail in March.
The Supreme Court subsequently ordered Singh to surrender. According to reports, the deadline was extended from December 1 to December 4 to allow him to attend his daughter’s wedding.
His political position has also come under scrutiny after he was expelled from the Janata Dal (United) for six years following controversial remarks in which he claimed involvement in nine killings, before subsequently retracting the statement.
For now, Anant Singh’s attention is on delivering a wedding celebration on an extraordinary scale, with political figures, entertainers and thousands of guests expected to descend on Ladma.
But once the festivities are over, the MLA will face a very different reality, as he prepares to surrender in connection with the murder case.
