Patna: NDA will sweep the polls in Bihar and win all the 13 Lok Sabha seats where polls were held in the second phase on Thursday, JD (U) national spokesperson and party strategist Shivanand Tiwari claimed here on Friday.

The 13 seats include Hajipur, where Ram Vilas Paswan had won with record margin and entered the Guiness Book of World Records, he emphasised. Claiming that the results of the second phase would be ‘unprecedented’, he said: “On the basis of the feedback received from the countryside, we can say that the NDA would win all the 13.”

The minorities, particulary Muslims, have developed a ‘soft corner’ towards the NDA following measures undertaken by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and have voted in the favour of NDA candidates. This would be repeated in the next two phases, as the Muslims were aware that only Mr. Kumar could give them their due as he had taken measures to bring the culprits of Bhagalpur riots to the book.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kumar asserted on Friday that the strong ‘anti-Lalu and anti-Paswan’ wave blowing across the State made it clear that the RJD-LJP alliance would face a rout. “There is a strong anti-Lalu and anti-Paswan wave across Bihar as people want to see a change in governance at the Centre. The LJP-RJD combine will be uprooted.”

Asked about the poll prospects of NDA in Bihar, he said: “Please wait till May 16 when the election results will be declared.”

Turning to Mr. Paswan, he said an anti-Paswan wave was perceptible in Hajipur and JD(U)’s Ramsunder Das, former Chief Minister, would definitely win this time. Just as the people of Hajipur were determined to elect Mr. Paswan in 1977, they were firm on defeating the LJP chief this time, he claimed.

Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said the NDA was fast heading towards a landslide victory to form a government at the Centre. “We are set to sweep the polls.”

Anirudh Prasad alias Sadhu Yadav, the estranged brother-in-law of RJD chief Lalu Prasad contesting on a Congress ticket from West Champaran, also claimed here on Friday that Mr. Paswan and ‘company’ would be wiped out from the State.

“Bungalow [LJP poll symbol] will cave in and Lotus [BJP poll symbol] will be uprooted,” said Mr. Yadav.

Sadhu’s reply

Evading a direct reply on whether he would campaign against Mr. Prasad in Patliputra, one of the seats being contested by the RJD chief, he said he would be campaigning for the party in the entire State. Polls in Patliputra would be held on May 7. He dodged questions on whether Mr. Prasad would win in Saran, another seat where the RJD supremo is in the fray, saying “I will remain in Congress as long as blood flows in my body.” — PTI