Another Stage Collapses In Bihar, Takes Down Pappu Yadav This Time

Yet another stage meant for a poll campaign rally collapsed today in Bihar apparently due to overcrowding, taking down with it Jan Adhikar Party-Loktantrik leader Rajesh Ranjan, beter known as Pappu Yadav.

Initial reports said several people, including Mr Yadav himself, sustained injuries in the incident that took place at Muzaffarnagar's Minapur assembly constituency. Photographs showed the politician nursing his right arm after the accident.

This marked at least the fourth such case of a platform built up for a poll rally giving way due to the sheer weight of people on stage.

A video of the incident showed the stage collapsing just as the 53-year-old Mr Yadav was speaking to his supporters through the microphone.

#WATCH: Stage collapses at Jan Adhikar Party leader Pappu Yadav's campaign rally in Muzaffarpur's Minapur Assembly Constituency.#BiharElections2020 pic.twitter.com/pZIfEINAm1

— ANI (@ANI) October 31, 2020

Mr Yadav's party is in alliance with Chandrashekhar Azad's Azad Samaj Party, Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), and some other smaller parties.

On October 15, several people were injured when a stage set up for Janata Dal (United) leader Chandrika Rai's election campaign rally collapsed in Saran district. The stage gave way due to overcrowding; no serious injuries were reported there. The incident took place in Sonpur assembly constituency shortly after Mr Rai filed his nomination papers. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy was also present on the stage.

Similarly, on October 29, Congress candidate Mashkoor Ahmad Usmani was thrown off the stage when it collapsed while he was addressing a rally in Darbhanga. Later in the day, at another Congress rally in Champaran a stage collapsed and took down with it party leaders Imran Pratapgarhi and Akhilesh Singh, along with several party workers who were on the dais.