As Bihar’s NDA leaders on Saturday mocked at RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi, the couple’s cricketer son defended his mother over her controversial comments about chief minister Nitish Kumar uttered in a campaign speech. But a case was lodged against Ms Devi in a lower court.

The BJP on Friday termed the Congress as the “mother of corruption” and said Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s allegation of misappropriation of Central funds for Bihar reflects her “disappointment and desperation”.

Security of two Bihar jails was tightened on Saturday after an intelligence report that Maoists may target the prisons to free their cadres, the police said.

India’s two leading ladies in politics, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati of the BSP, on Thursday took on Bihar’s ruling JD(U)-BJP alliance and its greatest opponent, the RJD-LJP combine, in passionate campaign speeches heard by thousands of voters.

Bihar’s third phase of Assembly polls for 48 seats in six north-western districts on Thursday registered an average 53.65 per cent voter turnout and passed off largely peacefully in areas infamous as the state’s “wild west”. This phase holds crucial significance for Bihar’s ruling NDA, the main Opposition RJD-LJP and also the resurgent Congress.

Cash worth `6.44 lakhs was recovered on Thursday from the hotel room of Congress party’s central leader Sagar Raika and Bihar Youth Congress president Lallan Kumar in Begusarai by the police who suspected the money was meant for distribution among voters to unfairly influence them.

The Congress on Wednesday formally complained to the Election Commission about JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav’s controversial personal comments against Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi and sought stern action against the Lok Sabha MP and former minister.

Former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi of the RJD, whose political fortunes would be decided in two Yadav-dominated constituencies in Bihar’s third-phase Assembly polls for 48 seats on Thursday, faces her life’s toughest electoral battles in the party’s pocket boroughs.

Polling began on Thursday morning for 48 constituencies in the third phase of the Assembly elections in Bihar amidst tight security.

Around 14 per cent of the 1.03 crore electorate exercised their franchise till 10 am in 48 Assembly constituencies, spread over six districts in Bihar, which have gone to polls in the third phase on T