Nitish does not rule out early polls

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has not ruled out the possibility of a mid-term poll in view of the poor performance of the Congress-led UPA in the just-concluded assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and other states.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has not ruled out the possibility of a mid-term poll in view of the poor performance of the Congress-led UPA in the just-concluded assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and other states.

Talking to reporters on Monday here, Kumar said the NDA was prepared for mid-term Lok Sabha polls but the UPA will not go for snap polls as it wanted to "cling" on to power.

"It is clear from its (Congress) performance in five states that the Congress has been weakened to a great extent. So, it does not want to go in for mid-term polls. Instead, it will cling to power till its full term by doing everything to retain a majority in the Lok Sabha," he said.

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Kumar maintained that the NDA, on the other hand, was geared up for mid-term polls.

Asked about his view on the revival of the third front in view of poor performance of both the Congress and BJP, Kumar said the idea was still in a nascent stage. "Let the so-called third front take shape first," he said.