Mere hours before the sixth phase of polling, a BJP MLA from Bihar has been booked on charges of allegedly distributing cash during a roadshow held by Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan.
According to officials, BJP MLA from Sahebpur, Raju Kumar Singh, was booked based on a complaint by Vijay Kumar Shukla, the RJD candidate from the Vaishali Lok Sabha seat. Shukla alleged that during a roadshow event held by Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan, the BJP MLA was purportedly seen giving cash to onlookers, an act that was also caught on camera.
Speaking about the incident, Muzaffarpur District Magistrate Subrat Kumar Sen said, "Since the matter involves an alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct, an FIR has been lodged. Further investigations are on."
Meanwhile, reacting to the development, the Sahebpur MLA refuted the allegations, claiming that he gave money to a party worker to fetch a few bottles of packaged water, but rivals indulged in "petty politics" over the incident.
Polling in Bihar (Phase Six): 1.5 Crore Voters to Decide Fate of 86 Candidates in 8 Lok Sabha Seats
Further, in other news, voting for the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections is slated for May 25. A total of 58 constituencies across 7 states will go to polls, including 8 constituencies in Bihar.
There are a total of 1.49 crore voters who will exercise their voting rights at 14,872 polling stations. The constituencies are mostly rural, with only 1,281 polling stations in urban areas. Gopalganj accounts for the highest number of 20.24 lakh voters, while the smallest electorate (17.56 lakh) is in West (Pashchim) Champaran.
Constituencies in Bihar
Bihar has a total of 40 Lok Sabha seats. So far, voting has been concluded in 24 seats. Out of the remaining 16 seats, 8 – Valmiki Nagar, Paschim Champaran, Purvi Champaran, Sheohar, Vaishali, Gopalganj, Siwan, and Maharajganj – will go to polls on Saturday, May 25.
Further, it is pertinent to note that the fight in Bihar is primarily bipolar in these elections, with the BJP, JD(U), Chirag Paswan’s LJP (Ram Vilas), Upendra Kushwaha’s RLM, and Jeetan Manjhi’s HAM in alliance against the coalition of RJD, Congress, CPI, CPI (M), and Mukesh Sahani’s VIP.
