# Kapildev Prasad Singh

Kapildev Prasad Singh. also known as Kapildeo Babu (2 February 1952 – 2 January 2021), was an Indian politician and a former member of the Bihar Legislative Council from Nalanda Local authority constituency. He also served as a chairperson of Nalanda district council of Bihar in establishment term of Panchayati Raj in 2001 to July 2003. He was joint to Bharatiya Janata Party in his early political career.

## Biography
### Personal Life and Background

Kapildev Singh was born on 2 February 1952 in Pokharpur village of Nalanda district. His father, Kameshwar Prasad Singh, was a farmer in the village. He was the third among four brothers. His elder brother late Mahesh Prasad Singh was in politics; he was the Mukhiya of Pokharpur Panchayat in the 1960s. At that time, he was also made the block president of Indian National Congress of Giriyak block.His family has considerable influence in the politics of Pokharpur Panchayat, now (Nagar Panchayat Pawapuri). One of his nephews and son of Late Mahesh Singh, Kamta Prasad Singh has also been the unopposed Mukhiya of the Panchayat in 2001. Late Kunti Devi, wife of Kapildev Babu's younger brother, has also represented Pokharpur twice from 2006 to 2016.
Another nephew of his, Dinesh Prasad Singh, was himself a businessman and a CPWD contractor by profession. Who was murdered by unknown criminals at his hotel in Pokharpur.
Singh was married to Sunila Devi in 1970. He has three sons. His elder son Sanjay Sinha is a known businessman and a social worker in Nalanda district. His second son Pankaj Sinha is also in social work in Pawapuri, and his youngest son Shashikant is a doctor by profession. Singh belonged to the Bhumihar caste in Bihar.

### Early career

In 1990, Singh was active in social work in the area of Pawapuri and Nalanda district. In 1993 he join as a Party Worker of Bharatiya Janata Party Nalanda district unit.He is known in the area as "Kapildeo Babu". Before 2000, Pawapuri used to be a small market, which is now emerging as a city. Singh played an important role in getting his village Pokharpur the status of model Village in the 90s, given by then Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar

## Political career

Singh started his political career by contesting in a panchayat election. After the dissolution of Panchayati raj, a new panchayat election was held in the state of Bihar in April 2001. Singh contested for the post of district council member from Giriyak block of Nalanda district. He was elected to that post. In June 2001, he was elected as a chairperson of the Nalanda district council.
In 2003, Bihar Legislative Council elections were held. Singh also contested for this election from The Nalanda Local authority constituency as an independent candidate, and he won this election by receiving 100 more votes than his nearest rival, Raju Yadav.
Meanwhile, he had also campaigned for NDA in the Nalanda Lok Sabha by-election held in October- November 2006. On the request of the top leadership of BJP, he had appealed to vote for Nitish Kumar's candidate Ram Swaroop Prasad. During his tenure in the Bihar Legislative Council, Singh also held the post of President to Bihar Prison Reform Committee in the Legislative Council in 2006. He was close to the then Chief minister Rabri Devi, during which he also increased his contact with the founder of Lok Janshakti Party and the then Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Ram Vilas Paswan
During this time, Kapildeo Babu wanted to contest lok sabha election in 2009 from Nawada Lok Sabha on B.J.P ticket, but due to some reason he could not contest. Later, Bhola Singh from BJP was fielded in his place from Nawada.
In 2010, Even in the assembly elections, he wanted to contest on B.J.P ticket, but Nawada and Asthawan Assembly seat went to JDU account in NDA. Therefore he decided to contest the elections from the Mahagathbandhan. His first priority was to contest elections from Nawada but Nawada seat went to RJD. Due to which, in the Grand Alliance, LJP gave him the ticket from Asthawan Legislative Assembly and Rashtriya Janata Dal made Raj Ballabh Yadav contest from Nawada. but he failed to win. At that time, under the influence of Nitish Kumar, the grand alliance of R.J.D of Lalu Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan party L.J.P lost the elections badly. Later,kapildev singh involved in social work,after sometime he became inactive due to health reasons.

## Controversies

According to the then popular magazine of Bihar, Samkaalin Tapman, in 2001 there was mutual tension in the district regarding the District Council and the Panchayat elections, especially in Nalanda there were a lot of tensions regarding the election for chairman of the District Council. On June 6, 2001, just 4 days before the election of District Council Chairman, "Sudhir Prasad alias Bihari Mahto," a district council member who had won from Bind, along with Tripurari Singh alias "TP Singh Mahto", a notorious criminal of Nalanda, were murdered by other criminals last night. In that murder, Kapildev Singh's Name started being discussed in the political circles of Nalanda, Nawada and surrounding districts. the market of discussion became more heated when Kapildev Singh was elected in the district board Chairman election held immediately on June 10, 2001. Because the person who was killed was T.P. Singh, who himself was a resident of Bind, he wanted to make Sudhir Kumar, the winning district councilor from Bind, the chairman of the district council. And in that incident he was also killed along with T.P Singh. both of them were murdered near "Golapar" Jamali Chowk More situated on Bihar Sharif Parwalpur Road. At that time, Gupteshwar Pandey was the Superintendent of Police of Nalanda, and he himself was investigating this incident. During the investigation, he did not find any remote connection of Kapildev Singh with that incident. Later, in this incident, the names of former Legislative Councilor Raju Yadav, former MLA of Bihar Sharif Pappu Khan and another criminal Bhushan Singh also came under suspicion, as their enmity was going on on many fronts.
* According to a local Media and Times of India report, During the Legislative Council elections held in 2003, several violent clashes took place in Nalanda, in which, after the election of Late Singh as Legislative Councillor, supporters of Kapil Dev Singh raised his victory slogan in the counting complex of Sogra College, Biharsharif,then his rival Raju Yadav supporters gets irritated.In return, they beat up Singh's supporters badly, after which there was a lot of uproar in Nalanda, later in reaction to this incident, Kapildev Babu's supporters blocked the Patna Ranchi main road. Amit Lodha, who was the Superintendent of Police of Nalanda at that time, pacified the angry crowd and then both the parties reconciled.
* At that time, crime was at its peak in Bihar, many candidates were being murdered every day, murder of the mukhiya of panchayat's had become common in Nalanda. One night in 2003, armed criminals attacked Kapildev Babu's petrol pump at Pawapuri, this was an act of rivalry for the recently held Bihar Legislative Council elections. But that night, Kapildev Singh was not present at the petrol pump residence, but instead his supporters and some local people took charge and chased away the criminals who had come with the intention of attacking. The atmosphere of fear at that time was such that several armed squads were deployed outside his residence for his security

## After death

On 2 January 2021, Singh died in Patna. After his death, Governor of Bihar and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed condolences to his family, and Nitish Kumar went to his residence in Pokharpur Pawapuri and consoled his family members.
On 2 January 2022, Singh's life-size statue was unveiled at his Pawapuri residence by the then Union Minister Ramchandra Prasad Singh and former Bihar Minister Nand Kishore Yadav.

## Gallery

* Kapildev singh in district Board Nalanda In Biharsharif (2001)
* In 2004,Lalu Prasad Yadav with Kapildev Babu, sitting at His Residence In Pokharpur village
* Kapildev Babu In a Public Meeting during 2010 Bihar Election In Asthawan Along with Ram Vilas Paswan
* Kapildev Singh inaugurating Dussehra Jagran in Pokharpur in 2016
* Kapildev singh In Jal Mandir Pawapuri In 2017
* on 31 May, 2003 Kapildev Singh (extreme left) During the visits of President of India, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam At Jal Mandir Pawapuri.
* In 2004, Kapildev Babu with Nitish Kumar In Pawapuri
* After the death of Kapildev Babu, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar reached his residence in Pokharpur to console his family and his elder son Sanjay Sinha (left)
* In 2022, Union Minister RCP Singh along with kapildev babu's elder son Sanjay sinha (left) during inauguration ceremony of Singh's Statue In Pawapuri.
* Nitish Kumar paying homage to the statue of Kapildev Singh in 2022