Mid-term polls likely in Bihar within six months: Paswan

Observing that an internecine strife has rocked the JD(U) after it suffered debacle in the Lok Sabha elections last month prompting Nitish Kumar to resign from the Chief Minister's post, Union Food and Public Distribution Minister Ram Vilas Paswan claimed that a mid-term poll may be held in Bihar within next six months.
"The JD(U) is wobbling with uncertain future... I don't think the Jitan Ram Manjhi government will last for long forcing a mid-term poll in Bihar within next six months," Paswan told reporters here.
Kumar, despite demitting his post, was running the Jitan Ram Manjhi government with remote control while his successor was there for the sake of arrangement and does not have powers to arrest the slide of the JD(U) or its government for long, Paswan said.

The ruling party's disinclination to contest by-polls on three Rajya Sabha seats in Bihar clearly pointed to an internecine strife within it amid banner of revolts raised by dozens of its lawmakers against the leadership, Paswan said.
"The JD(U) leadership perhaps does not want to face embarrassment in the by-polls on three Rajya Sabha seats next week as it's not sure how many lawmakers are with the party," the LJP supremo said.
"The ruling party has 117 MLAs, but nobody is sure that even 17 MLAs are committed to it," Paswan claimed.
Taking potshots at JD(U) national president Sharad Yadav and former chief minister Nitish Kumar for holding meetings separately with bunch of legislators loyal to each, the Union minister said that the ongoing conflict within the JD(U) pointed towards an imminent mid-term polls in Bihar any time within next six months.