JD-U candidate booked for assaulting official

PATNA - A complaint has been lodged against Bihar’s ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) candidate from Chhatarpur assembly seat Neeraj Kumar Singh for assaulting a presiding officer at a polling booth in Supaul district Thursday, police said.

“We have lodged an FIR (first information report) against Singh based on the complaint,” a police official said.

Neeraj Singh, alias Babloo, an incumbent legislator, was accused by the presiding officer of assaulting and threatening to kill him. Singh, however, denied the accusations.

Singh, a notorious criminal-turned-politician, has many cases pending against him. He is one of the many candidates with criminal records in the fray.

The first phase of the Bihar assembly elections, covering eight districts and 47 constituencies, was held Thursday. Polling has been largely peaceful, apart from some reports of electronic voting machines (EVM) malfunctioning.