Ram Kripal Yadav was rescued by locals.

BJP MP Ram Kripal Yadav, who was surveying his Lok Sabha constituency in flood-hit rural Patna on Wednesday, fell into a river after his makeshift boat overturned. The locals jumped in and rescued the leader. The incident was caught on camera.

Mr Yadav, a two-time MP from Pataliputra, was coming back from a village in the Dhanarua block of rural Patna when the incident took place.

His boat, made of bamboo shoots and inflated tyre-tubes, tipped as he was trying to cross the river along with his supporters.

After rescuing the MP, the locals fanned him with their ''gamchas'' (towel) to help him recover, news agency PTI reported.

"The state administration is only focusing on Patna. They are not looking at rural areas. Cattle are dying due to the unavailability of food. Even I didn't get a boat, I had to use a makeshift boat to visit flooded areas," Mr Yadav told news agency ANI after the incident.

Mr Yadav had defeated RJD chief Lalu Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti in the Lok Sabha polls in 2014. He retained the seat in the national election in May.

The unprecedented rains that battered Bihar in the last three days of September has cost 55 lives -- a jump from the last known figure of 42 -- the state government said on Wednesday, adding that around 21.45 lakh people have been affected.

In Patna city, 342.5 mm rainfall was recorded between 27 and 29 September.

To help the people, 45 relief camps and 324 community kitchens are being run, the state government said. More than 1000 boats have been pressed into service to evacuate the affected people.

With inputs from ANI, PTI