BJP will sweep Bihar polls, says Venkaiah Naidu

New Delhi: Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said the massive response which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has got in Bihar clearly shows that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would win the Assembly polls in the state.

"The BJP would lead in all the phases of the Bihar Assembly polls, because there is a feeling of change in people of Bihar and that is why people rose above the caste, creed and voted for Prime Minister Modi in the Lok Sabha elections," Naidu told ANI.

"The response that the Prime Minister is getting in his rallies, especially from the youth, is a clear indication that we are winning the state elections," he added.

Naidu also said that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav won't be able to run the government together in Bihar.

"Attacking the Prime Minister verbally is the speciality of Lalu Yadav, but the duo should understand that people do not like them," he added.

The Bihar elections are crucial for the BJP, which needs numbers in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament, where it is in a minority and unable to push key reforms.

The results in Bihar will also set the tone for crucial assembly elections next year in West Bengal, Kerala, Assam and Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, 26.94 polling percentage has been recorded till noon in the third phase of the Bihar Assembly polls.

The third phase is spread across 50 constituencies in six districts. An estimated 10 to 15 percent votes were cast till 10 am.

Polling, which began at 7 am, will conclude at 5 p.m. in 40 constituencies, while in the remaining 10 Naxal-affected seats, it will end at 4 pm.

Over one crore 45 lakh electorates will decide the electoral fate of 808 candidates, including 71 women.