Special session could be a precursor to early Lok Sabha polls, says Bihar CM Nitish

Bihar CM and INDIA bloc leader Nitish Kumar convening a special session of Parliament lent credence to his anticipation of early Lok Sabha polls. The JD(U) leader made the remark a day after the Centre formed a committed led by Ram Nath Kovind to study the possibility of 'one nation one election'.

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar asserted that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre has lent credence to his anticipation of early Lok Sabha polls by convening a special session of Parliament. The JD(U) leader made the remark here while replying to queries from journalists after returning from Mumbai where the opposition coalition INDIA held the latest round of talks.

"You need to understand that this special session is a sign that they are thinking of early polls, the possibility of which I have been seeing and sharing with you all for quite some time," he told reporters on Friday. Parliament, which was last month adjourned sine die after the monsoon session, will meet from September 18 to 22 for a special session of which the Centre has not made public the agenda.

The JD(U) leader, whose party has 16 MPs in the Lok Sabha, did not respond to queries about 'one nation one election', but added, "There are issues which will be strongly raised during the upcoming session."

"This government is dragging its feet on the issue of caste census. Forget a caste census, it has not even begun the census which, as per norms, should have been completed long back. This government has time for all other things," said the former NDA ally, who got a caste survey done in the state after the Centre made it clear that it would not conduct separate headcounts for social groups other than SCs and STs. (PTI)