The police on Tuesday arrested Bihar's former minister of state for secondary education Ramprakash Mahto when he was filing his nomination papers for contesting the assembly election from the Katihar constituency.

Mahto resigned from the Rabri Devi ministry on Monday, as an arrest warrant, issued against him in connection with a case relating to the model code of conduct violation during the 1999 Lok Sabha polls, was pending.

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In a bid to keep absconding criminals away from contesting the election, the Patna high court had, early this month, ordered the arrest of all candidates against whom warrants were pending. It said the arrests could be made when the candidates came to file their nominations.

A court in Katihar had declared Mahto an absconder in June last year, after he failed to appear before it.

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A non-bailable arrest warrant was issued against him under various sections of the Bihar Defacement Property Act and the Representation of People's Act.