India, Oct. 30 -- In Nalanda's Kalyan Bigha, a village about 65km from Patna, anticipation is already building for November 29 as the villagers expect their most famous son, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, to return once again to pay tribute to his late father on his death anniversary, as he has done unfailingly for years.

By then, they hope, Kumar would have been sworn in for a record tenth term as chief minister, if the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) retains power after the two-phase Bihar Assembly elections on November 6 and 11.

"Nitish Kumar is Bihar's need. No one else can replace him right now," says 81-year-old Ram Ittar Singh, sitting near a tea stall in the village square. "What he has done for Bihar, no one else could d...