India, Nov. 4 -- In 2020, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) bagged nine out of the 10 assembly seats in Darbanga as it returned to power in Bihar. Five years later, the ruling bloc is hoping to repeat its performance, banking on projects like the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the new Darbhanga airport terminal, flood management projects, proposed metro, and pre-election announcements for women.

The NDA and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led opposition are again in direct fight on most seats, despite the presence of the Jan Suraj Party (JSP), All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), and some rebels.

Uma Shankar Thakur, who works from home in Darbanga's Benipur for a Pune-based IT firm, said the five kg rati...