N itish Kumar is likely to be sworn in as the Bihar Chief Minister for the 10th time. Top BJP leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief strategist Amit Shah might have been ambivalent on this issue in the run up to the election but the nature of the verdict is such that they will find it difficult to deny Kumar another term. Not because he has enough numbers to make another political somersault, but because he has got the people’s mandate for another term. Be it the Rs 10,000 dole to 1.40 crore Jeevika Didis or his continuing hold on female voters, sections of the extremely backward classes, Dalits and other backward classes, nobody can deny credit to Nitish Kumar for such a historic verdict in favour of the National Democratic Alliance.

Having said that, the poll results ha

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