JD(U)'s Shivanand Tiwari backs Advani on post-poll prediction

New Delhi, Aug 7: A day after JD (U) chief

voiced his "disagreement" with L K Advani's prediction of a non-Congress, non-BJP Prime Minister after 2014 polls, a senior member of the

ally backed the veteran BJP leader on Tuesday, saying he "understands the pulse of the country's politics".

"Advaniji is a very senior person. He has contested many an election and toured the country extensively. He understands the pulse of the country's politics and the trends. He has written something on the basis of an objective analysis," JD (U) Rajya Sabha MP Shivanand Tiwari said.

Tiwari added that though there is no doubt that UPA's credibility is falling sharply, "BJP does not seem to be benefitting from it as much as it should have and, hence, it seems there is substance and truth in what Advani is saying."

He said, "Congress is falling, but BJP is not benefitting so much from growing anti-incumbency." Yadav, who is also NDA convener, had said on Monday that he "completely disgarees" with Advani's contention expressed on his blog and had, instead, maintained that UPA will lose the next elections "badly" and NDA will emerge as the largest alliance.

"Predictions do not come true in this huge country with such huge diversities. This is my opinion with due respect to Advaniji...I do not go by prediction. UPA will go (after the elections) and NDA will put up a fight," Yadav had said. "There are issues in the whole country, which favour us. When the issues are in our favour, a change will happen. NDA will be the number one alliance after 2014 Lok Sabha elections," Yadav had said.

Advani had stated on his blog on Sunday that a non-Congress, non-BJP Prime Minister supported by either of the two parties is "feasible" after the 2014 general elections. Tiwari said that there is now talk of Congress trying to project Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as well, alongwith Rahul Gandhi for the 2014 polls. "This shows that Congress has accepted the fact that only Rahul will not be able to do much...This shows the desperation of Congress. But BJP does not seem to be gaining out of this," Tiwari said.

PTI