Results will impact govt’s survival, admits Nitish

Patna: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, whose party, Janata Dal (United), is fighting with its back to the wall to retain its dominance in the state, admitted that the results of the Lok Sabha polls will have a bearing on the fate of his government. "The outcome of the national elections will have an impact on the state government,'' the chief minister said. But he added at the same time that his party will not have any post-poll tie-up with either the BJP or the Congress.

Kumar is running a minority government in Bihar, and there is apprehension that a poor performance by the JD(U) in the national elections will impact its survival. The party has been hit by desertions of late. Earlier this week, three lawmakers were suspended, and another one resigned yesterday. The JD(U)'s no-show is being attributed to its decision to jettison the BJP in June last year after it named Narendra Modi as its flagbearer for the Lok Sabha polls. The voting-pattern of the Muslims, who comprise some 17% of the electorate, in the first two rounds of polling have also come as a rude jolt to the JD(U) leadership. There are indications that large sections of the community may have put their weight behind the RJD-Congress-NCP combine. Kumar, however, rejected reports that the Muslims were rallying behind the RJD-Congress-NCP alliance.

An NDTV opinion poll conducted earlier this month gave only four seats to the JD(U). The party is expected to finish a poor third, and Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has positioned itself as the main challenger to Mr Modi's BJP. In the 2009 general election, the JD(U) had bagged 20 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in partnership with the BJP, which won 12.