Nationalist Congress Party general secretary Tariq Anwar on Monday accused both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Grand Alliance of spreading communal and caste tension in Bihar, where Assembly elections are in progress. The NCP leader, who is campaigning in the Katihar district, asked people to vote for secular candidates, the Press Trust of India reported.

Although the NCP is only contesting 42 of the 243 seats in Bihar, it claims it will help “secular forces” form the government. The NCP had been part of the Third Front in Bihar, led by the Samajwadi Party. It quit the alliance on Thursday, claiming the Samajwadi Party was trying to help the BJP beat the Grand Alliance, which comprises Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress.