Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha Gheraoed In Lakhisarai; BJP Blames RJD 'Goons'

Patna: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and BJP candidate from Lakhisarai, Vijay Kumar Sinha, was gheraoed by a mob in Khoriari village on Thursday as polling for Phase 1 of the Bihar Assembly Elections was underway. The BJP has blamed the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for orchestrating the disruption.

Sinha alleged that a group of men, whom he described as “RJD goons”, surrounded his convoy, hurled stones, slippers and cow dung at his car and chanted “Murdabad” slogans to prevent him from visiting polling booths.

“The goons of RJD want to capture the polling booth here, but I am unflinched. They have not let my polling agent cast vote. The DM and SP are weak here,” Sinha said, accusing local authorities of inaction.

Calling the Superintendent of Police (SP) from the spot, Sinha demanded immediate reinforcement. “Send some force here. I will sit on a protest. They have hurled stones and slippers at my car and attacked my bodyguards,” he said.

In an exclusive interaction with Republic, the Deputy CM said, “They started throwing slippers and stones at my car. I talked to the SP about this. Bulldozer will be run over those resorting to violence.”

Sinha further claimed that RJD supporters had threatened his polling agent early in the morning and were preventing voters from reaching the booths. “They are not letting the Deputy CM go in. Look at their hooliganism… This is RJD’s real face even before coming to power,” he said.

While police personnel were present at the site, Sinha alleged that local law enforcement failed to control the situation promptly. BJP workers at the scene accused RJD cadres of attempted booth capturing and intimidation of voters, demanding strict action from the Election Commission.

Hours after the incident, a dramatic spat took place between Sinha and RJD MLC Ajay Kumar.

The RJD MLC said, “[Sinha's] people stopped our car and resorted to hooliganism. He is distraught because he has lost the election. Vijay Sinha's chapter is closed.”

Claiming that Sinha was not attacked, the RJD MLC alleged, “He had been trying to stage this drama for several days.”

On the other hand, Sinha said, “We were coming, and he (Ajay Kumar) parked his car in front of us, so we stopped…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.”