Bihar will vote above caste politics: Survey

The people of Bihar will vote above caste politics and on the issues of development and law and order in the upcoming assembly polls, an opinion poll said on Monday.

The poll conducted by Today's Chanakya during September 1-12 said Prime Minister Narendra Modi still enjoys a very high popularity in the state and his image will have a huge impact on the National Democratic Alliance's turnout.

It said the Janata Dal-United, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress combine was dependent on the image of its chief ministerial candidate Nitish Kumar, but the state will vote on the basis of political party and candidates.

On the popularity index, Modi was very good with 37 percent, while Nitish Kumar was also "very good" with 31 percent.

Almost 67 percent of the respondents were in favour of Nitish Kumar's image having a major impact on the election outcome.

However, 73 percent of the respondents also accepted that Modi's image will have a major impact.

The findings were based on a random stratified sample of 6,823 respondents.

Another survey conducted by Edelweiss Research said Modi's rallies were attracting youth in hordes, much like the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, even in areas where the BJP under-performed in the general election.

The finding said that while the grand alliance of the JD-U-RJD-Congress started on a firm footing, the Samajwadi Party's exit sapped sentiments a tad.

One more important finding said Nitish Kumar's alliance with Lalu Prasad has not gone down well with JD-U supporters.

Assembly polls will be held in five phases between October 12 and November 5. Counting of votes will take place on November 8.