The BJP's new star in Bihar

The current minister of state for home, Nityanand Rai, could play a big role in the post-Nitish era

“This is the most boring poll ever,” said a Bihar cadre bureaucrat. “Rarely has Bihar had an election where the outcome was so obvious”. Barring some major mishap, the Janata Dal (United)-Bharatiya Janata Party [JD(U)-BJP] alliance is set to return to power in November. The BJP is, in a sense, discounting this election. Its eyes are set on the next one, which will likely mark the beginning of the post-Nitish Kumar era. And in that dispensation, the current minister of state for home, Nityanand Rai, could play a big role.

The central issue is not that Mr Rai, a Yadav, has