Villager bites BJP leader's thumb during campaign in MP's Pohari: Report

The assailant identified as Ram Prasad was also involved in a confrontation with the minister's security personnel.

Published on: Nov 5, 2023, 23:00:27 IST

By HT News Desk

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A BJP minister in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh found himself in a spot after a young man bit his thumb during an election campaign in Shivpuri. The assailant identified as Ram Prasad was also involved in a confrontation with Suresh Dhakad's security personnel, TOI reported.

Dhakad, however, refrained from taking any legal action against the assailant Ram Prasad, who might be suffering from a mental disorder.

During election campaigning in the Sakatpur village of Rathkheda Pohri on Thursday, Dhakad was surrounded by villagers who criticised him for ‘disappearing’ after winning the elections in 2018. “You have come now after 5 years”, the villagers told the leader, as per a report in ETV Bharat. They also raised concerns such as the lack of adequate schools in the area with the leader.

The BJP leader told them that they should elect him as an MLA again and he would address their concerns.

In an unrelated incident, another BJP candidate, Ramesh Khatik also faced a similar fate. He was confronted by the villager during an election campaign in the Karaira assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh. The villagers told him that he was only seen at the time of the election and would disappear later.

Madhya Pradesh will vote on November 17 to elect its 230-member assembly. The counting of votes will take place on December 3.

The BJP is seeking to retain power in Madhya Pradesh once again. In the 2018 assembly election, the Congress emerged as the single largest party with 114 seats and formed the government under Kamal Nath with support from Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

But Kamal Nath was forced to resign in 2020 after 23 MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned, reducing the Congress to minority in the assembly. Nath resigned even before facing the floor test and the BJP formed the government under Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

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HT News Desk
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