New Delhi, Nov. 16 -- In the end, Bihar proved to be yet another routine victory for the formidable political apparatus of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its National Democratic Alliance. The party, by itself or with its allies, has won seven of the 10 states that have gone to polls since the 2024 general elections, defeating the Opposition by wide margins.

But in some of these states the BJP's alliance had always been the frontrunner. What comes next is a different challenge.

In his victory speech after the Bihar results, Prime Minister Narendra Modi narrated an easy conclusion. "The river Ganga flows to Bengal via Bihar. And the victory in Bihar, like the river, has paved the way for our victory in Bengal," he said.

That's easi...