How Bihar mandate could impact slew of state elections next year?

West Bengal to be first test case; power balance in ruling alliance could change equations

The posters that surfaced in Patna on the morning of November 11, when it was clear that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had won the assembly election, spoke of a narrative that was symbolically and substantively different from the script that unspooled during electioneering. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) president, shared equal space on the victory banner; before the elections, their mugs were not juxtaposed although they jointly addressed a few rallies. “It was intended to dispel a notion that henceforth the JD(U) would be the junior partner. We wanted to reiterate our commitment to the