Nitish appeal, Oppn campaign against SIR, PK factor await popular verdict

Bihar elections are likely to settle the debate on whether the Opposition has finally found a potent political plank in its protest against SIR or it will be another nonstarter for the alliance, as the ruling NDA looks to maintain its firm grip on a state which has stood by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar since 2005.

- OUR CORRESPONDENT

However, questions about his health have persisted and a popular verdict will clear the air on whether the JD(U) president continues to endure as the talismanic helmsman in the state's electoral battle or Tejashwi Yadav as the de facto face of the Opposition can trump the chief minister, a feat that eluded his charismatic father, Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Kumar leads a coalition, which includes a BJP more formidable than ever in the state, with a proven numerical advantage over the RJD-led combine that has the Congress and the Left as allies.

The two alliances -- the NDA and Mahagathbandhan -- have fortified their coalitions with new allies for the Assembly election in which poll strategist-turned politician Prashant Kishor has emerged as the X factor with his assiduous campaign projecting his Jan Suraaj Party as an alternative to the traditional alliances.