Rudrapur, Sep 22 A commotion erupted outside the strong room in Kichha, Udham Singh Nagar district, on Tuesday during the municipal council elections, as supporters of Congress MLA Tilak Raj Behar and former BJP MLA Rajesh Shukla confronted each other in the leaders’ presence.
Behar, the Congress MLA from Kichha, alleged that Shukla assaulted him and Rajesh Pratap Singh, the Congress candidate for Municipal Council chairperson.
Voting for the Kichha Municipal Council took place on Tuesday.
According to reports, Behar arrived at the strong room, where the ballot boxes were to be brought, to assess the situation. He objected to the curtains installed as part of the security arrangements and sat down there.
Former MLA Shukla also arrived there with his supporters.
Following this, an altercation broke out between the two sides and escalated into a scuffle.
Police personnel separated the two groups. After the incident, MLA Behar sat on a dharna (sit-in protest) at the spot; however, his supporters later took him home after his health deteriorated.
Shukla accused the Congress camp of misconduct. Police said they have stepped up security arrangements outside the strong room and are maintaining strict surveillance.
(PTI News)
