Maintaining that voters in Bihar wanted a change to make the state "crime-free," NDA chief ministerial candidate Nitish Kumar on Saturday claimed that the JD (U)-BJP combine would obtain a clear majority in the assembly elections to form the next government in the state.
"There has been a positive vote this time and people, who want change, have high expectations from NDA that it will make the state crime-free and bring the state back on the path of development", Kumar told reporters after exercising his franchise at a booth in Bakhtiapur, 50 km from Patna.
Appreciating the Election Commission for conducting the polls in a "free, fair and peaceful" manner, Kumar said the NDA would gain from the "positive voting" and be able to form a strong and effective government on its own after getting "clear and decisive majority."
He, however, refused to specify the number of seats the NDA would be able to win saying "people want good governance which NDA alone can provide".
Parrying a direct reply to a question as to whether the NDA, which was agitating for the ouster of tainted ministers from the Union Government, would accommodate "chargesheeted" persons in the event of coming to power, Kumar said "at this moment we can only say that we will not not give a chance to anyone to target us on this issue."
{{/usCountry}}Parrying a direct reply to a question as to whether the NDA, which was agitating for the ouster of tainted ministers from the Union Government, would accommodate "chargesheeted" persons in the event of coming to power, Kumar said "at this moment we can only say that we will not not give a chance to anyone to target us on this issue."
{{/usCountry}}"It is unprecendented in the history of the Union Government that chargesheeted persons have been accommodated", he said in an apparent reference to the inclusion of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad as Railway Minister.