Unidentified miscreants lobbed a crude bomb at the residence of expelled BJP leader Ch Bijoy in Lamphel area in Manipur’s Imphal West district, police said. The incident took place on Friday night, hours before the second phase of the assembly elections was to begin, they said. Nobody was injured in the blast triggered by two masked persons, who came in a two-wheeler, a police officer said.

Bijoy, who was expelled from the saffron party last month for six years on disciplinary grounds, told reporters, "The attack might be a threat… to make me politically silent.” Further investigation is underway, police said. Polling for the second and last phase of assembly elections in Manipur began at 7 am on Saturday in 22 constituencies across six districts.