"It is a bipolar election...": Sanjay Jha says people do not see hope in Prashant Kishor in Bihar polls

Patna (Bihar) [India], November 8 : Janata Dal (United) national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha has said that Prashant Kishor-led Jan Suraaj has not inspired hope among people in the Bihar assembly polls and that it is a bipolar election between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition Mahagathbandhan.
In an interview with ANI, Sanjay Jha, MP also said that if Chief Minister Nitish Kumar decides on the political debut of his son, the party will accept him.
The first phase of assembly polls in Bihar on November 6 saw a record 65.08 per cent voter turnout, with leaders of different parties interpreting the high voter participation in their favour.
Jan Suraaj leader Prashant Kishor has said that the record voter turnout in the Bihar assembly elections signals a desire for change.
Asked if people see hope in Prashant Kishor, Jha said, "not in this election". "I cannot say about the future. It is a bipolar election," he said.
Kishor, who was an election strategist, had helped JD(U)'s campaign in the 2015 polls and joined the party in 2018, has floated his own party, Jan Suraaj.
Jan Suraaj has pitched itself as an alternative to both the ruling NDA and Mahagathbandhan in the assembly polls.
Sanjay Jha indicated that Nitish Kumar and Prashant Kishor have not met each other for quite some time.
"No, I don't think so. Why would he meet him?... Only they can tell about this," Jha said, replying to a query.
Kishor said earlier that high voter turnout suggests that more than 60% people in Bihar want change.
"This is the highest voting percentage in Bihar since Independence. This shows two things: that the thing I said last year, also that more than 60% of Bihar's population wants change. The feeling of indifference that people were getting used to, in trying to find an alternative, people did not have an alternative. After Jan Suraaj came, people got an alternative. People have given their vote for change," Kishor said on Friday.
"On November 14, history will be made...Nobody knows what will happen until the counting takes place. What we are seeing is that the migrant workers have voted in big numbers for change," he added.
Jha has expressed confidence that the NDA will return to power with a clear majority, saying people are with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar.
He said this election will not just decide how the next five years will have a bearing on the state's long-term future.
"I appeal to people to vote for Bihar's development. This election is not just about deciding how the next five years will be, but about where the state will stand in the next 25 years. The people must vote for good governance in the state to stop migration from the state. I think NDA will get a huge mandate," Jha told ANI on Thursday.
After a historic voter turnout in the first phase of polls, Bihar is now gearing up for the second phase of the elections in 122 Assembly constituencies on November 11. Results will be declared on November 14.
NDA, which includes BJP, JD(U), HAMS, LJP (RV) and RLM, is looking to retain power, while the Mahagathbandhan, comprising RJD, Congress, Left parties, VIP and some smaller parties, is seeking to oust the ruling coalition in the state. Jan Suraaj is also expecting a verdict in its favour in the polls.