It was his first vote. So he rode a buffalo to the polling station

Ujiarpur, Bihar:

In Ujiarpur, Bihar, people on the streets witnessed a strange sight: a young voter, riding a buffalo, arrived at a polling booth to vote for the very first time.

“I came to vote for the first time and I’m very excited,” the man said. “I hope whoever wins will eradicate poverty in our village, give work to young people and fight against inflation.”

Video of the incident shows the young voter, dressed in a black shirt, gray pants and a green cloth wrapped around his head like a turban, arriving at a polling station on a buffalo that is wearing a similar headgear. Passersby, including children, were in awe as some clicked photos as the man and his bovine friend crossed a road on horseback.

#Watch: It was his first vote. So he rode a buffalo to the polling station#ElectionsWithNDTV#Biharpic.twitter.com/w482IhHQpi

– NDTV (@ndtv) May 13, 2024

Ujiarpur Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar’s Samastipur district has 17.48 lakh voters and has 13 candidates vying for the mandate. At the forefront of this political fight is Union Minister Nityanand Rai, who is seeking a remarkable third consecutive term. Mr Rai’s candidature is being contested by Alok Mehta, a veteran RJD leader and former state minister.

In Samastipur constituency, formerly known as Rosera, two political veterans, Sunny Hazari of the Congress and Shambhavi Choudhary of the LJP, face a close fight. Both come from wealthy political backgrounds, being the children of senior JD(U) leaders and ministers in the cabinet of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Sunny Hazari, son of Maheshwar Hazari, won on a JD(U) ticket in 2009. Shambhavi Choudhary, daughter of Ashok Choudhary, a prominent minister in the Nitish Kumar administration, aims to chart her own political path.