
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and BJP candidate from Lakhisarai, Vijay Kumar Sinha, faced an attack on his convoy on Thursday, the first phase of polling day in the Bihar Assembly elections. The incident took place in Khoriari village of Lakhisarai district, where a group of people surrounded his vehicle. According to visuals from the spot, several RJD supporters allegedly threw stones and slippers at Sinha’s car while chanting slogans of “Murdabad.” They also tried to stop his vehicle from entering the village.
Speaking to reporters after the incident, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and BJP candidate from Lakhisarai, Vijay Kumar Sinha, accused the RJD of orchestrating the attack. “These are RJD’s goons. The NDA is coming back to power, and that’s why they are panicking,” Sinha said. He alleged that RJD supporters stopped him from entering Khoriari village and also prevented his polling agent from casting his vote. “They turned away my polling agent and did not allow him to vote. Look at their hooliganism—this happened at booth numbers 404 and 405 in Khoriari village,” Sinha added. He further claimed that despite the obstruction, he was confident of victory, saying, “Vijay Sinha is going to win. These violent tactics will not stop the people’s support for the NDA.”
Police personnel were present at the scene and intervened to control the situation. The BJP strongly condemned the attack and blamed the RJD for creating chaos during polling hours. The party claimed that such incidents showed the Opposition’s frustration over losing public support. No injuries were reported, and the Deputy Chief Minister was safely escorted out by security forces. The local police have begun investigating the matter, and additional forces have been deployed to ensure peace in the area. The incident comes amid a tense election atmosphere in Bihar, where leaders from all major parties are campaigning intensively to secure voter support.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Thursday directed the Bihar DGP to take immediate action after Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha alleged that his convoy was attacked by RJD supporters in Lakhisarai. “No one will be allowed to take law into their own hands. Strict action will be taken against the miscreants,” an official said, quoting the CEC. The Election Commission also urged voters to cast their ballots fearlessly at their respective polling booths.
Meanwhile, Bihar recorded a voter turnout of 42.31 per cent by 1 pm in the first phase of the Assembly elections on Thursday, according to data from the Election Commission of India. Among the 18 districts, Gopalganj topped the list with 46.73 per cent, followed by Lakhisarai at 46.37 per cent and Begusarai at 46.02 per cent. Patna continued to record the lowest turnout among all districts at 37.72 per cent.
Several other districts saw voter turnout above 40 per cent, including Muzaffarpur (45.41%), Saharsa (44.20%), and Madhepura (44.16%). In comparison, Darbhanga saw a lower turnout of 39.35 per cent, while Nalanda reported 41.87 per cent.
Among the key constituencies, Raghopur recorded a turnout of 43.3 per cent, Mahua 40.41 per cent, Tarapur 44.35 per cent, Lakhisarai 44.20 per cent, Bankipur 25 per cent, and Phulwari 40.98 per cent.
Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief Upendra Kushwaha expressed confidence that the NDA would win with a thumping majority, saying people were voting for the alliance in large numbers. He added that while RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had to project confidence for his party’s morale, the trends on the ground clearly favoured the NDA.
Bihar Assembly Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav cast his vote at a polling booth in Patna Sahib and urged citizens to participate in large numbers, calling it 'the festival of democracy'.
Polling began at 7 am across 121 constituencies in 18 districts, covering around 3.75 crore electors, and will conclude at 6 pm, though it has been shortened to 5 pm in some areas for security reasons. This phase will decide the fate of several top leaders, including Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Samrat Choudhary, Mangal Pandey, Shravan Kumar, Vijay Kumar Choudhary, and Tej Pratap Yadav.
In the 2020 Assembly elections, the NDA had won 125 seats while the Mahagathbandhan secured 110, with the BJP winning 74, RJD 75, JD(U) 43, and Congress 19.
(With inputs from agencies)
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