The BJP and its allies, a pre-poll survey has predicted, will win a majority in the >Bihar election, scooping up 125 seats in a House of 243.

The survey, conducted by Cicero for India Today channel, gave the >JD(U)-led ‘grand alliance’ 106 in an election that they said could be “very, very close.” ‘Others’ have been predicted to get 12. The half-way mark in the Assembly is 122.

In the last elections in 2010, the JD(U) won 115 seats in alliance with BJP, which itself had bagged 94 seats. The RJD had won 22 seats, the Congress 4 and the Lok Jan Shakti party 3.

The opinion poll gave the JD(U) and its allies a vote share of 40 per cent, which is down by 9.8 per cent vote-wise and by 35 seats compared to the last election. The BJP and its allies have been predicted to get 42 per cent votes, up by more than 18 per cent.

However, > Nitish Kumar is in the lead followed by BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi and RJD leader Lalu Prasad.