Congress MLA Rajendra Kumar Rai was on Wednesday arrested in connection with a clash between the workers of his party and BJP in poll-bound Korba constituency of Chhattisgarh, police said.
Korba will witness polling on Thursday in the third phase for which campaigning concluded on Tuesday evening.
The incident, which took place on Tuesday night, left three BJP workers and a Congressman injured.
According to Korba Superintendent of Police, Amresh Mishra, the clashes broke out between BJP as well as Congress leaders and their supporters in Baghapani village area under Rampur Assembly constituency in the district over alleged illegal means of wooing voters in the area.
The trouble started when Congress workers stopped the vehicles of BJP workers alleging that they were distributing money and various commodities to lure the electorate of Rampur region ahead of polling in the region.
Congress workers allegedly thrashed BJP men and also damaged their vehicles. Three BJP workers and a Congressman were also injured in the brawl and were admitted to a local hospital, police said.
Later, BJP workers lodged a complaint against Mr. Rai, another Congress MLA from Rampur, Shyamlal Kanwar and 20 other Congress workers.
After investigation, Mr. Kanwar’s involvement was not found in the case, and hence no action was taken against him while Mr. Rai was arrested on Wednesday, the SP said, adding others are yet to be apprehended.
Mr. Rai, a Congress legislator from Gundardehi Assembly seat of Durg district, was arrested under sections of Representation of the People’s Act 1951, he said.
Meanwhile, former Home Minister and senior BJP leader Nankiram Kanwar has denied the allegations of distributing money or other material among people in the poll bound region.
