Patna: The ruling JD(U) and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday accused each other of making the polls to 24 Legislative Council seats a "prestige issue" and claimed that the results would show the real situation on the ground.
The council elections have been dubbed as the semi-final before the crucial Assembly elections scheduled later in 2015 and has been billed as a show of strength between JD(U)-RJD-Congress and NCP as part of secular alliance on one side, and NDA comprising of BJP, LJP and RLSP on the other.
Firing the first shots, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said, "The BJP has made the Council polls a prestige issue. It campaigned much for the polls and its leaders passed off several statements over it. I hope it will remain steadfast on the statements when the results come."
Kumar was speaking to mediapersons after casting his vote at a booth in the state capital. He said the JD(U) took the elections "in a normal manner" as every election was important.
Asked whether the Council polls were really a semifinal before the Assembly elections, he said, "I believe the results will be in our favour. The BJP leaders have made it a prestige issue and making several baseless allegations against us. I just went to Muzaffarpur for campaigning, while they went all around and indulged in making unreasonable statements."
Retaliating to Kumar's statements, senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said that it was JD(U) which made the Council polls a "prestige issue".
"Kumar had never gone as a Chief Minister to any filing of nomination papers by anybody earlier, but was in Muzaffarpur when the JD(U) candidate was filing his papers there. This shows how much importance he has given to these polls," Modi said.
The BJP leader also alleged, "Kumar held public meeting and sought votes for the JD(U) candidate. His ministers camped in districts for these polls. The government machinery was misutilised and officials asked representatives of local bodies to vote in favour of the ruling combine candidates. This shows how much a prestige issue it is for him."
Modi cast his vote at Patna Sadar booth.
Asked about Kumar's challenge to BJP to remain steadfast on its statements after the poll results come, he said, "We have said our numbers in Council will increase while those of JD(U) will decrease and we will remain steadfast on this."
The EC has set up 534 polling booths to enable the eligible votes to cast their franchise. Both the alliances comprising RJD, JD(U), Congress and NCP on one hand and the BJP-led NDA have fielded candidates in all the 24 seats.
In the outgoing Council, BJP had five seats and JD(U) 19 of the total 24.
Among the secular alliance constituents, RJD and JD(U) have contested 10 seats each followed by Congress with three and NCP with one seat, while in the NDA, the BJP put up candidates on 18 seats while Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) did so on four and Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) two seats.
Meanwhile, RJD legislator and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi also cast her vote at a booth in the state capital and reiterated that her party "will win all the 10 seats" on which it put up its candidates.
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