BJP and Congress Workers Clash in Bihar’s Begusarai; Police Use Lathi Charge to Disperse Crowd

Patna — Tension erupted in Begusarai district of Bihar on Thursday after supporters of the BJP and the Congress clashed near the Teghra subdivision office during the nomination process for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.

The confrontation began when Congress Youth State President Garibdas and Bihar Sports Minister Surendra Mehta, the NDA candidate from Bachhwara, arrived at the constituency office with their respective groups to file nominations.

What started as a round of slogan-shouting soon spiralled into a violent altercation, with both sides reportedly exchanging kicks and punches.

Police intervened to bring the situation under control and resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the crowd after a brief but intense scuffle. Several people sustained minor injuries, and tension prevailed in the area before normalcy was restored.

Officials later confirmed that the nomination process continued smoothly after order was re-established.

The incident followed another episode of party infighting a day earlier, when two Congress factions clashed at Patna airport on Wednesday evening.

In a separate development, internal discord also surfaced within the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), led by Mukesh Sahani, after two rival groups of workers came to blows during a press conference at Hotel Maurya in Patna.

The scuffle reportedly broke out over seat-sharing disputes within the Grand Alliance. According to reports, Mukesh Sahani had initially demanded 60 seats, which were cut down to 30, and finally 18 seats offered by the RJD, which he reluctantly accepted. The situation worsened when the Congress fielded candidates in several constituencies Sahani had sought, triggering outrage among VIP supporters.

As tensions rose, the press conference was abruptly cancelled. Sahani is now expected to hold a separate media briefing at 4 p.m., where he may announce a major political decision.

The twin flare-ups — the Begusarai clash between rival parties and the VIP infighting in Patna — have heightened concerns about law and order during the crucial nomination phase of the state elections.

Authorities have since increased security and surveillance around nomination centres across Bihar to prevent further incidents.

With inputs from IANS