As the first phase of the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 unfolded on Thursday, tensions escalated in Lakhisarai constituency after Deputy Chief Minister and BJP candidate Vijay Kumar Sinha alleged that RJD MLC Ajay Kumar Singh and Congress leader Sujeet Kumar tried to capture a polling booth at Nadiawan village with the help of the local administration. Later in the day, chaos erupted as slippers and stones were hurled at Sinha’s car, prompting the Election Commission of India (ECI) to order strict action against those involved.
Sinha, who had gone to inspect the polling booth, claimed that opposition leaders were attempting to disrupt voting.
“We were coming, and he parked his car in front of us, so we stopped. He's an RJD MLC (Ajay Kumar Singh). He's drunk. He reeks of alcohol. He's talking nonsense. He had gone to Nadiawan to capture a booth. When he heard we were coming, he ran away,” Sinha said while speaking to reporters.
Accusing the local administration of complicity, the Deputy Chief Minister alleged that RJD and Congress leaders had intimidated voters and assaulted BJP supporters.
“RJD MLC Ajay and Congress leader Sujeet together threatened the people of the village in connivance with the administration. The villagers showed me how they were beaten up, and their vests were torn. Both were drunk. When they stopped their car on the road, they threatened me too. The administration's cowardice and incompetence are clearly visible. We will definitely speak to the Election Commission,” he stated.
He further claimed that the two leaders had been creating disturbances in the area for over two hours.
“RJD MLC Ajay Singh and Sujeet Kumar, who joined the Congress from the JDU, came to this village and were causing a disturbance. They were here for two hours. The administration, in cooperation with them, brutally beat our workers,” Sinha alleged.
Eyewitness accounts from Nadiawan villagers appeared to partially support Sinha’s version of events. A resident said, “We had come to vote. We were standing in line and were pushed away. Sujeet Kumar and Ajay Kumar had come drunk. They said no one would vote here for anyone else except for RJD and Congress.”
Another villager added, “They pushed me, an old man. They disturbed all of us here for two to three hours. They were Ajay Kumar and Sujeet Kumar, and they came here with the administration. They were drunk.”
Later, tensions intensified when a crowd hurled slippers and stones at Vijay Kumar Sinha’s vehicle as he was leaving the area. The Election Commission of India has taken serious note of the incident and instructed district authorities to take strict action against those responsible for the violence and to ensure law and order during polling.
Authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the booth capture allegations, but the incident has further heated up the political atmosphere in Lakhisarai, where voting continues amid tight security.