NDA, Oppn bloc in close contest, reveals survey

THE NDA SURVEY SHOWS THE BLOC BETTER ITS 2020 SHOWING OF 125 SEATS BY WINNING 130 SEATS OUT OF 243 IN BIHAR

- Sunetra Choudhury

The upcoming Bihar assembly elections might see a close contest with just a percentage point separating the vote shares of the two major alliances, an internal survey commissioned by the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) shows.

The NDA survey — reviewed by HT — gives the edge to the ruling coalition, which it predicts might marginally better its 2020 showing of 125 seats by getting around 130 seats out of 243. It also notes high approval of 65% for chief minister Nitish Kumar and a surge in support for strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor, whose Jan Suraaj Party is seen as bagging almost 9% of the vote.

HT reported on Monday that the Congress's initial ground reports also suggest that CM Kumar faces little anti-incumbency even as he has spent more than 18 years in the top post.