Bettiah (Bihar) [India], November 10 : Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor on Monday exuded confidence that people of Bihar will not "restrict" themselves to religion and caste and vote to lay solid foundations for a "good society". He also noted the record voter turnout in the first phase of the Bihar assembly polls.
"We are confident that the people of Bihar will rise above caste, religion, and money in the coming times and vote for a good society," the former political strategist turned politician told reporters here in response to a query ahead of the second phase of polling to be held on Tuesday.
Regarding the feedback from across the State on the assembly poll, Kishor said, "For the first time since independence, such a large number of votes have been cast in Bihar... People have voted in such huge numbers so that corruption can be eradicated from Bihar..."
Meanwhile, in an interview with ANI, Kishor on Sunday claimed that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is "on his way out," asserting that the high voter turnout seen in the ongoing Assembly elections reflected "anti-incumbency" sentiments rather than support for the ruling government.
The Jan Suraaj chief added that the state's electoral atmosphere is "very messy," cautioning that without scientific exit polls, any predictions about the outcome are "baseless".
Kishor said, "No, look, Nitish ji is going. Don't forget this. Now, 65-67% vote in Bihar, this is not pro-incumbency. This is not possible. So, let the results come now. Because it is a very messed-up situation. Unless you are doing a scientific exit poll, the people who are talking are talking in the air. That's why they are talking."
He further commented on the rising participation of women voters, suggesting that government schemes such as the Rs 10,000 cash benefit under Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, cycle and uniform distribution, and pension assistance might have influenced the turnout.
However, Kishor clarified that the apparent higher participation of women was partly due to the "denominator effect," as fewer women are registered voters compared to men.
A record 65.08% of voters participated in the first phase of assembly polls on November 6.
While the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), comprising the BJP, JD(U), HAMS, LJP (RV), and others, is looking to retain power, the Mahagathbandhan, comprising Congress, RJD, left parties, and VIP, is looking to get back to power. Jan Suraaj party has also made a debut in the electoral fray, contesting in more than 200 seats on its own.
The rest of Bihar will vote on Tuesday, and the counting will be held on November 14.