Ajay Singh

The drug menace has hollowed it out, but the spirit of its people provides new reasons for hope.

For years, the shadow of Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar's handshake in Ludhiana remained a prime factor in the country's politics in general and Bihar politics in particular. But much water has flown down the Ganga since then.

The verdict this time can propel new combinations of social forces that can give us anything from a "coalition of extremes" to a "rainbow coalition."