Lakhisarai, 6 Nov

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha caused a flutter on Thursday, alleging that his convoy had been attacked by workers of the main opposition party, RJD, who were trying to "intimidate" voters in the area.

The senior BJP leader, who is seeking re-election for a fourth consecutive term, expressed dissatisfaction with the response of the local administration and said he would take up the matter with the ElectionCommission (EC).

Reacting to the alleged incident, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar directed the DGP to take "immediate action".

"No one will be allowed to take the law into their own hands. Strict action will be taken against the miscreants," an official said, quoting Kumar.

Lakhisarai SP Ajay Kumar said polling was continuing in the area where Sinha alleged that his convoy was attacked by RJD supporters.

"I have received reports of some protests over broken roads, but I will be able to confirm what actually happened only after visiting the site," the SP said.

Voting was underway for 121 seats in the first phase of Assembly elections amid tight security arrangements.

Talking to reporters, the Deputy CM said, "Since morning, RJD supporters have been intimidating voters belonging to extremely backward classes. The local SP is a coward. He says there is peace all around, when the fact is that people are not being allowed to vote".

"You can see one of the cars in my cavalcade, which has been damaged by the opposition party goons who hurled stones, slippers and cow dung when our men tried to stop them. One of my workers, Vibhishan Kevat, was beaten up badly. He has been admitted to a hospital, and there has not been a single arrest", Sinha said.

Accusing the RJD of resorting to violence, the deputy chief minister said, "The RJD has shown what it stands for. When this is their behaviour while out of power, if they win the polls even by fluke, what will ensue will be nothing short of the law of the jungle."

Expressing serious dissatisfaction with the response of the local administration, the Deputy CM said, "The matter will be raised before the Election Commission. The questionable conduct of the official concerned with be reviewed and action will follow".

RJD spokesperson Shakti Yadav said, "He (Sinha) is a liar. He gets Z+ Security; it's his party that is in power in the state and controls the administration. Still, you are levelling these false allegations? Locals raised questions on a broken drain, and that is what happened."