Ready for mid-term assembly polls in 2019: JD-U

More than a month after joining hands with the BJP to form a new government, Bihar's ruling JD-U on Tuesday said that party is ready for mid-term assembly polls along with the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

Impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity, JD-U state President Bashistha Narain Singh told the media: "We are fully ready for a mid-term Bihar assembly polls along with Lok Sabha polls."

Singh, considered close to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who is also Janata Dal-United President, said his party has no problem if the Election Commission holds Bihar assembly polls in 2019.

"We are in favour of simultaneous elections to Bihar assembly and Lok Sabha," Singh said.

Bihar's next assembly polls are due in 2020.

Singh supported Modi's stand to hold simultaneous elections to parliament and the state assemblies. "A consensus should be made among all the parties and the EC has to decide it."

Last Bihar assembly polls were held in 2015 when the Grand Alliance of the JD-U, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party led National Democratic Alliance.

A Grand Alliance government led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was formed in November the same year. However, in the last week of July this year, Nitish Kumar dumped the Grand Alliance and formed a government with the BJP.

--IANS

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