FILE: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at a meeting in Delhi (Press Trust of India photo)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal landed in Patna today to begin a Bihar chapter in his bromance with Nitish Kumar, so far restricted to warm and frequent meetings in Delhi. At their last meeting, the two leaders had held hands on stage, hugged and taken potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In Patna, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today hosts Mr Kejriwal at a seminar on good governance. They will also together visit the famous Bodh Gaya, where Gautam Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, about 135 kilometres from Patna.
Assembly elections are due in Bihar by November this year and Mr Kejriwal has cast his vote in favour of Nitish Kumar, who takes on PM Modi's BJP in the state. Mr Kejriwal has said his Aam Aadmi Party will not field any candidates in Bihar to ensure that anti-BJP votes are not split.
In Delhi last week, he also requested the millions of Biharis who live in the capital to phone relatives in Bihar and ask them to vote Nitish Kumar back in power.
Mr Kumar hopes to leverage Mr Kejriwal's appeal among the urban youth in Bihar.
They have backed each other in their battles with the BJP-led Centre. Nitish Kumar has supported Mr Kejriwal's demand for full statehood for Delhi.
Mr Kejriwal took on PM Modi for his remarks against Nitish Kumar in election speeches in Bihar, including his "DNA" comment that questioned the Bihar Chief Minister's political integrity and provoked an enraged Mr Kumar to launch a campaign around it.
In the Delhi elections in February, Mr Kumar's Janata Dal (United) did not field candidates against AAP. Mr Kejriwal's party swept that election, winning 67 of 70 seats and delivering a body blow to the BJP, which had been on a roll with multiple state wins till then.
Bihar is the first state election after Delhi and the BJP hopes to erase the nightmare of six months ago.