Bhagalpur: Even though Bihar chief minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar walked out of the NDA over the BJP decision to project Gujarat chief minister
Narendra Modi as its PM candidate, Muslims in the state don’t appear to be impressed with Mr Kumar’s sudden change of heart toward “secularism.”
While keenly watching the Modi centric Lok Sabha campaign, Muslims in the state are clear that they will stay loyal to RJD chief Lalu Prasad. However, there seem to be enough hints on the ground that suggest Muslim votes may be headed for a split, which in fact is contrary to the perception that the minority community votes en-block against “communal” BJP.
“What we see now is that Muslim votes will split in 70:30 ratio, with a larger percentage favouring Laluji and rest going for other parties. There is a clear rural and urban divide among Muslims,” said Muhammed Noorul Haque, a resident of Kabirpur village.
Though it’s more than six months since Mr Kumar parted ways with the BJP, Muslims appear dismissive of the Bihar CM.
