Patna: The road ahead for chief minister Nitish Kumar is full of thorns and the RJD will form the next government in Bihar, RJD national vice-president Shivanand Tiwari said on Monday.

"The message has gone viral across Bihar - how Nitish ditched the people's mandate. In the Grand Alliance the votes of Dalits, minorities, extremely backward classes (EBC), other backward classes (OBC) were mixed. If Nitish thinks that after going with BJP that vote bank will shift towards him he is mistaken," Tiwari said.

He said the vote bank of backward classes and the minorities was intact since the Mandal Commission and leader of that vote bank is RJD chief Lalu Prasad. Tiwari accepted that for some time that vote bank had separated from Lalu but said it will now stick with the RJD.

Tiwari also said that the acquittal of former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra in the same fodder scam case in which Lalu was convicted has sent a message among the backward classes that upper castes have been given a free hand to loot public money and leaders who are working for the poor and the downtrodden are being targeted.

"If election would be held today, the RJD will get two-third majority. Nitish Kumar is finished. I can foresee his future. He has made alliances with every party, from the Congress to the Left to the BJP. He has reached the stage where no political party will trust him," Tiwari said.

The veteran socialist leader claimed that the EBC vote bank will split and Lalu will get the maximum benefit.

"Lalu has already sent a message to the Kushwaha community and if they come to Lalu then nobody can stop the RJD from forming the government as it will emerge as the single-largest party in Bihar," Tiwari said.

Tiwari said that if Nitish contests the next state election in alliance with the BJP, the uppers castes vote for the BJP candidates but not Nitish's candidates. "Nitish has announced reservation in outsourced government jobs and spoken in favour of reservation in private sector. The upper castes will never vote for Nitish's candidates," Tiwari said.

"Bhumhihars, Brahmins and Rajputs will not vote for Nitish's candidate. The upper castes will prefer voting for Lalu rather than Nitish."