Senior Janata Dal (United) leader and Union Minister Lalan Singh has triggered a massive political storm ahead of Bihar's first-phase assembly elections on November 6, with a controversial speech allegedly intimidating poorer voters in Mokama constituency. Addressing a rally on Monday, Singh reportedly urged supporters to confine "certain people" at home on polling day, only allowing them out under strict supervision to vote for JDU candidate Anant Singh. The remark, captured in a video shared by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), has been slammed as an assault on democratic rights, prompting the Election Commission to issue a 24-hour notice to Singh for his response.

RJD national spokesperson Priyanka Bharti lambasted the statement as "driving a bulldozer over the Election Commission's chest," accusing Singh of advocating voter suppression by locking the underprivileged indoors. "The poor should not be allowed to leave their homes... If they plead too much, take them to vote and bring them back to sleep," Bharti quoted from the speech, questioning the poll body's silence. The opposition highlighted the irony, noting Singh's alliance with the BJP, which often decries "jungle raj" under past RJD regimes, and demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention against his cabinet colleague.

The controversy erupted during a joint campaign in Mokama, where Singh and BJP's Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary rallied for Anant Singh, a strongman with 28 criminal cases, recently arrested in the murder of gangster-politician Dular Singh Yadav—a Jan Suraaj candidate. Singh dismissed the arrest as a "conspiracy" against JDU, vowing, "We will not let Mokama feel Anant's absence... Every vote on November 6 must go to him to prove no plot succeeds." He predicted a landslide win for Singh, larger than previous victories, despite facing RJD's Veena Devi, wife of rival bahubali Surajbhan Singh.

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Responding to NDTV queries on endorsing a "tainted" candidate, Singh rejected double standards, stating, "Arrest doesn't make one criminal—I could be arrested too. Investigations will clear the innocent." The seat falls under Singh's Munger Lok Sabha constituency, amplifying the stakes in Bhumihar-dominated politics. RJD has formally complained to the EC, escalating tensions as Bihar's two-phase polls—November 6 and 11—unfold amid heightened scrutiny on voter intimidation.

As the NDA defends its "sushasan" (good governance) narrative, the episode underscores deepening divides in Bihar's polarized elections. With counting on November 14, opposition leaders warn such rhetoric could backfire, eroding trust in institutions. Singh's notice from the EC signals potential action, but the damage to NDA's image may linger, fueling debates on equity and fair play in India's heartland polls.

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