New Delhi: The verdict is out. Nitish Kumar is Bihar's man of the moment.
The JD(U)-BJP combine has swept into power in Bihar. They have ended Lalu Prasad-led Rashtriya Janata Dal's 15-year rule in the state.
Nitish Kumar will be sworn is as the next Chief Minister of Bihar on Thursday.
Lalu Prasad and his wife, Rabri Devi, will have to vacate the 1, Anne Marg, chief minister's bungalow which have been their home for over a decade.
At the final count, the RJD and Congress combine managed only 66 of the 243 seats.
Its a clear sweep for the JD(U)-BJP alliance with 147 seats.
The LJP is a very distant third, with just 11 seats.
In the end, the Yadav strongman found it difficult to keep his flock together with Nitish Kumar successfully cracking the caste arithmatic to beat Lalu in his own game.
"People have been fooled and they will know in six months time," a beaten Lalu said.
"Mein Bihar ke janta to dhanyavad deta hoon (I thank the people of Bihar)," said a victorious Nitish.
Nitish does have a lot to thank his voters for.
Upper castes and the motley bunch of OBCs and the extemely backward castes came out to vote him into power and the chief minister-designate is already chanting the development mantra.
The biggest loser in the polls has been Ram Vilas Paswan, who in February had come between Lalu and the Patna throne and wanted to play kingmaker this time.
He clearly didn't know the rules well enough.
He's sent out a loud message to the next chief minister. "Yeh koi phool ki mukut nahi hai, yeh kate ke taj hain (This is no mantle of flowers, its a crown of thorns)," says Paswan.
Unseated after 15 years, Lalu has been graceful in defeat. "We will extend all help to the new state government," he says.
For the new Bihar chief minister, the Centre's help will be crucial in getting Bihar back on the progress path and only time will tell if the Centre and the state can work in tandem towards that goal.
(With inputs from Sandeep Banerjee)
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