Grand Alliance candidates protest outside Rohtas strong room

Patna: Tensions escalated in Sasaram, Rohtas district, early Thursday as Grand Alliance candidates and supporters staged a protest outside the strong room at the Market Committee premises in Takiya Bazaar, just hours before vote counting begins for the Bihar Assembly elections on November 14.

The protest erupted around 2 a.m. after CCTV cameras inside the strong room reportedly stopped functioning and a truck entered the premises without undergoing security checks.

RJD candidates Rajesh Yadav (Dinara) and Satyendra Sah (Sasaram) rushed to the site with supporters, alleging foul play and demanding immediate action. “A truck containing EVMs has entered. Despite complaints, the administration isn’t responding. The CCTV is off -- clearly something wrong is happening,” Yadav claimed.

Sah accused the administration of attempting to tamper with voting machines, saying, “Why did the truck enter the strong room at night? This is a conspiracy to replace EVMs because the Grand Alliance is winning all seven seats in Rohtas.”

District Magistrate Udita Singh and Superintendent of Police Roshan Kumar arrived at the scene with security personnel. Officials inspected the truck and clarified that it was carrying empty boxes intended for EVM storage. “All boxes have been checked and found empty. Still, if there’s any doubt, CCTV footage will be examined,” Singh stated.

Despite the clarification, Grand Alliance leaders continued their sit-in, questioning the timing of the truck’s arrival and demanding greater transparency.

The incident has heightened political tensions in the district ahead of counting day. The administration has reiterated that all arrangements are in place to ensure peaceful and fair counting.

Polling across Bihar’s 243 Assembly seats was conducted in two phases on November 6 and 11, with a turnout exceeding 66 per cent, nearly 10 per cent higher than in the 2020 elections.

(Inputs from IANS)