Opinion first

Who will win Bihar polls? While this question is equally vexing seasoned politicians and election analysts, Japanese deputy consul-general in Calcutta, Yashuhiko Tanaka, has an interesting answer for it. "It doesn't matter which party or alliance will emerge victorious. Candidates from the Yadav caste would be the real winners given the large number of tickets given to them by the NDA and the Grand Alliance," Tanaka said.

The diplomat was in the city on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing polls in the state and developmental issues impacting it. He added that while the NDA had given tickets to over 30 people from the Yadav caste, the Grand Alliance has given tickets to 64 Yadavs and the Third Front comprising Samajwadi Party and allies has also given several tickets to persons belonging to this caste.

Tanaka interacted with researchers and officials of Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI) led by its member-secretary Shaibal Gupta in his effort to understand the elections and issues that may influence the opinion of voters.