ALLAHABAD, Uttar Pradesh — Violent clashes broke out between workers of the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress party in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday following an argument. The incident took place in the Mutthiganj area of the city last evening after Retie Raman Singh, the sitting MP from SP, and his competitor from the Congress party, Nand Gopal Nandi came face-to-face while campaigning in the area. Allahabad votes on May 7, the penultimate phase of the nine-phase general election. A heated argument started between supporters of both leaders which soon turned violent. Police had to resort to lathi-charge, in which more than a dozen were injured. The Congress party alleged that the police acted at the behest of the state government, claiming that most of those hurt were its party workers. In another poll related violence, the general secretary of the Aligarh unit of the Congress party, Ravi Yadav, was shot dead by unidentified goons near his house in Vivek Vihar colony in Sasnigate area here. The 35-year-old was shot on his chest by the bike-borne assailants. He was rushed to the medical college, where he was declared dead. An FIR has been registered against unidentified persons. In his official statement, SSP Nitin Tiwari said, “The FIR has been filed. No names have been given in the report. We will be investigating the case.” — Agencies