Patna, July 30 (IANS) Jan Suraaj founder and Bankipur Assembly bypoll candidate Prashant Kishor on Thursday claimed that the public had already made up its mind to vote against the BJP in the ongoing bye-election.
Speaking to IANS, Kishor alleged that the police were taking one-sided action against Jan Suraaj workers in an attempt to intimidate them.
“The situation is exactly as you can see. The police are taking one-sided action to intimidate Jan Suraaj workers. They are detaining our people, but it is having no impact. The public has already made up its mind to vote against the BJP this time,” he said.
Reacting to the police action, Kishor asserted that his party was not afraid of any measures taken against its workers.
Meanwhile, polling for the Assembly bye-elections in Bihar’s Bankipur, Madhya Pradesh’s Datia, and Gujarat’s Manjalpur constituencies began on Thursday under extensive security arrangements.
Tensions flared during polling for the Bankipur Assembly bye-election in Patna district on Thursday after a scuffle broke out between supporters of the BJP and Jan Suraaj near polling booths in Kidwaipuri.
Police personnel deployed at the spot intervened and brought the situation under control.
The altercation took place outside polling booths 101, 102, and 103 in Kidwaipuri.
Jan Suraaj workers alleged that former BJP candidate Bunty was attempting to influence voters through intimidation at the polling station.
BJP has not publicly responded to the allegation, and it has not been independently verified.
Police personnel present at the booths quickly stepped in to prevent the situation from escalating and dispersed supporters from both sides.
Polling continued after normalcy was restored.
The confrontation followed heightened political tensions on the eve of polling.
On Wednesday night, the Patna Police and the Special Task Force (STF) detained around 20 leaders and workers of the Jan Suraaj Party.
According to police, the detained individuals were allegedly attempting to create disturbances and spread rumours ahead of the election.
The specific allegations have not yet been detailed publicly.
Following the detentions, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor reached the Jakkanpur police station late on Wednesday night along with party supporters and protested against the police action.
Addressing the media, Prashant Kishor accused the government of acting out of panic.
He said that if any Jan Suraaj worker had committed an offence, police should register a case and proceed according to law, but questioned the detention of party workers without informing their families or colleagues about their whereabouts.
He further claimed that around 15 to 16 party leaders remained untraceable and warned that if police failed to disclose the grounds for their detention, questions could arise regarding the legality of the action.
–IANS
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