As the Bihar Assembly election draws closer, candidates are coming up with novel ways to attract voters even if it backfires on them; from riding buffaloes while canvassing to driving tractors and ploughing land.

A 34-year-old candidate for Gaya Town constituency — Muhammad Perwez Mansuri — contesting on a ticket of the Rashtriya Ulema Council, thought of giving a novel touch to his campaign by moving on a buffalo. His supporters brought one on Monday. He promptly sat on it and moved out from the Gandhi Maidan in a small procession.

However, Mansuri could ride the buffalo just a few hundred metres when the seized his “vehicle” and registered an FIR against him at the Civil Lines police station under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life).

Stumped by the action, Mansuri protested and said he was riding the buffalo because he has no other vehicle.

“I do not have money to buy an automobile. Those who have cars use them for campaigning. I have a buffalo, so I was campaigning on it,” Mansuri said.

He also said that he was riding a buffalo to highlight the fact that Gaya was among the most polluted cities in the country.

“The current representative and BJP leader Prem Kumar who has been a legislator for 30 years, and his main challenger Congress’s Mohan Srivastava, a deputy mayor for the last 15 years, have done nothing for the development of the city,” Mansuri said.

Gaya senior superintendent of police Rajeev Mishra said that an FIR was registered against Mansuri for violating various laws. “The police will investigate the matter and take further action accordingly,” he said.

On the other hand, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad’s eldest son Tej Pratap drove a tractor and ploughed five cottahs of land in Hasanpur constituency of Samastipur district.

He also sat on a machan (makeshift bamboo tower to keep a vigil on the crop) to listen to the problems of the farmers.

Tej Pratap left the Mahua constituency in Vaishali district, which he represents at present, to contest from Hasanpur to rely on caste equations to get elected.

While campaigning in the constituency, he saw a farmer driving a tractor in Badgaon area. He borrowed the vehicle and ploughed his land.

“I understand the problems of the farmers. Many parts of this constituency, especially vast stretches of agricultural land, face problems such as waterlogging.

My priority would be to create a canal system to alleviate the situation,” Tej Pratap said.

The results will tell whether his actions helped reap votes.