Nitish government won't last over two years: Paswan

The Nitish Kumar-led Grand Alliance government in Bihar will not last more than two years, and there will be mid-term polls, union minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Saturday.

"The Grand Alliance government led by Nitish Kumar will not last more than one-and-half or two years, there will be mid-term polls, it is certain," Paswan, who heads the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), said at a meeting to review the party's rout in the assembly polls.

Paswan said the Grand Alliance -- which has the Janata Dal-United, Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress -- played the "caste card" to win the polls. But this will not work in the long run.

"The RJD of Lalu Prasad emerged as the largest single party and the JD-U of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is the second largest party. Here lies the problem, as both will fight for supremacy," said Paswan, the union minister for consumer affairs, food and public distribution.

Paswan's LJP was part of the BJP-led NDA along with the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) of union minister Upendra Kushwaha and the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) of former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi.

The NDA was routed in the polls as it won only 58 seats -- the BJP 53, the LJP 2, the RLSP 2 and the HAM 1. The LJP had contested 40 seats.

Paswan's younger brother and state LJP president Pasupati Kumar Paras, Paswan's two sons-in-law, his nephew and another close relative were all defeated. - IANS