Patna, Nov. 14 -- Outside the JD(U) headquarters on Friday, celebrations were galore as the ruling NDA took the lead in over 196 of Bihar's 243 assembly seats. Party workers burst firecrackers, smeared each other with gulaal, and danced to the beat of drums in joyous scenes.
What started as a small, cautious group of workers huddled over their phones soon transformed into a growing carnival, as each update from the Election Commission pushed the NDA further into a decisive lead.
The JD(U)'s 79-seat lead sent a wave of excitement through the crowd, unleashing waves of cheering and bursts of fireworks that quickly filled the air.
A giant poster of Nitish Kumar was quickly hoisted. A line of elderly loyalists sat under a makeshift tarpaulin...