The spectacular electoral victory of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar is one built on clever welfarism, astute social engineering, meticulous propaganda and the sustained popularity of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the State. The Opposition Mahagatbandhan of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Congress and other outfits suffered from the adverse popular memory of their reign, which ended 20 years ago. The NDA nurtured women as a horizontal voting bloc, even brazenly starting a new cash dole scheme on the eve of the election. Its caste alliance covered a larger spectrum, compared to the Mahagatbandhan, which, despite its best efforts, could not overcome the perception of being a narrow platform for Yadavs and Muslims. Mr. Kumar, who entered t

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