Voting for the Bihar Assembly elections commenced at 7am on Tuesday, covering 122 seats in 20 districts. However, the polling in the Runnisaidpur constituency of Sitamarhi district faced controversy when a polling agent from the Janata Dal (United) was accused of handing out party pamphlets to voters. The Election Commission responded quickly after a video of the incident circulated online, filing a case against the polling agent, Gautam Kumar, who was working for JD(U) candidate Pankaj Mishra. Officials stated that this act violated the Model Code of Conduct. The incident reportedly occurred at booth number 270 in the Runnisaidpur Assembly segment.
Local reports indicated that Jan Suraaj Party candidate Vijay Kumar Sah confronted the agent after allegedly witnessing the pamphlet distribution, which caused a disturbance at the polling station. Police and the Sector Magistrate arrived shortly thereafter to initiate an investigation. The district administration has promised that strict measures will be taken against anyone found culpable. The Election Commission reiterated its zero-tolerance policy for any violations of electoral conduct during polling, reaffirming its commitment to maintaining free and fair elections throughout the state.
