India, Nov. 14 -- Bihar's longest-serving chief minister, Nitish Kumar, 74, has been the fulcrum of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)'s rule in the state for almost two decades. With the NDA headed for a landslide victory, the "sushasan (good governance) babu" soldiers on. His relevance has endured over 20 years despite switching alliances and getting fewer seats than his partners.

Kumar's Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) is set to improve its tally, with continued backing from women, extremely backward castes (EBCs), and the Maha Dalits, after registering a dismal performance five years earlier. In 2020, the JD(U) got just 43 seats in the 243-member House. It was the third-largest party after alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJ...