Patna, April 29 (IANS) The body of a candidate contesting the ongoing Bihar panchayat polls was found hanging from a tree Friday morning, police said.

 
 Rajendra Mahto, who was contesting from Baghauni panchayat in Samastipur, about 75 km from here, was found dead a day before the fourth phase of the elections.
 
 Mahto's family alleged that he had been killed by his political rivals.
 
 "He was killed by political rivals, who were threatened by his presence in the electoral fray," a family member told police.
 
 Angry villagers protested, demanding action against those responsible.
 
 Despite the state government's claims of conducting peaceful panchayat polls, there have been many incidents of violence and killings.
 
 Earlier this week, the husband of a candidate was killed by a group of unidentified men in Nalanda district.
 
 Before that, three supporters of the ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) were killed and four seriously injured in firing by a group of unidentified men in a village in Vaishali district.
 
 The first round of the 10-phase panchayat polls saw a police officer and a woman killed in a Maoist attack in Jamui district. The Maoists have issued a poll boycott call and threatened to disrupt the elections.
 
 The polls for 262,000 panchayat posts will end May 28.