India, Nov. 15 -- The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) scored a chartbusting victory in Bihar on Friday as it swept India's third-most populous state and decimated the Opposition's Grand Alliance, reaffirming Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity and grabbing the momentum for a clutch of crucial state polls next summer.

The five-party alliance beat back two decades of anti-incumbency using a cocktail of cash transfers for women, welfare outreach, smart campaigning and chief minister Nitish Kumar's longstanding goodwill among marginalised castes to post a historic victory - its best showing since 2010. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) posted its highest vote share and second-highest seat share in the only north Indian state it has n...