Poll strategist Prashant Kishor with Bihar Chief Minister. (PTI)

Poll strategist Prashant Kishor took a swipe at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday, saying this is time to fight the coronavirus not elections and that he should not endanger people’s lives in a “hurry” to hold the assembly polls.

“The coronavirus situation in Bihar is worsening like it is in many other states of the country. But a big part of government machinery and resources are busy making preparation for the polls.

“Nitish Kumar ji, this isn’t time to fight elections but the coronavirus. Don’t endanger people’s lives in this hurry to hold the polls,” he tweeted.

देश के कई राज्यों की तरह #बिहार में भी #करोना की स्थिति बिगड़ती जा रही है लेकिन सरकारी तंत्र और संसाधनों का एक बड़ा हिस्सा चुनाव की तैयारियों में लगा है।@NitishKumar जी ये चुनाव नहीं #करोना से लड़ने का वक़्त है। लोगों की ज़िंदगी को चुनाव कराने की जल्दी में ख़तरे में मत डालिए।🙏🏼

— Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) July 11, 2020

Kishor, once a confidant of the JD(U) president before he turned a critic and was expelled from the party, joins leaders like LJP chief Chirag Paswan and RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav in suggesting that the Bihar assembly polls should be deferred due to the pandemic.

Polls in Bihar are due in October-November but the Election Commission has so far not made any official announcement about its schedule.

The BJP and the JD(U) have been holding organisational meetings and said that they are ready for the elections.