As Bihar’s first phase of Assembly elections commenced across 12 districts and 121 seats, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has leveled serious accusations against the Election Commission of India (ECI). The party claims that deliberate power outages are being orchestrated in areas considered strongholds of the Mahagathbandhan, aiming to suppress voter turnout. Tejashwi Yadav, a prominent RJD leader, asserted that electricity is being intentionally disrupted at polling booths where their supporters are expected to gather in large numbers. The RJD officially posted on X, stating that these intermittent cuts are designed to slow down the voting process, thereby impacting their electoral prospects. The party has urged the ECI to investigate and take swift action. However, the Chief Electoral Officer for Bihar swiftly refuted these claims, labeling them as ‘misleading’ and ‘baseless.’ An official statement indicated that voting was proceeding smoothly across all polling stations, adhering to established protocols to ensure fairness and transparency. The ECI, including the Chief Election Commissioner and Commissioners, is reportedly monitoring polling stations via CCTV from a central command room, a new initiative for this election cycle. The first phase involves determining the fate of 1,314 candidates, with voting starting at 7 AM.
