Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav celebrating their election victory
Nitish Kumar, who scored a third straight term as Chief Minister after winning the Bihar election by a landslide, is likely to formally take charge only after Diwali on Wednesday. His partner Lalu Yadav has already busied himself with his national campaign against what he calls "communal and fascist forces."
As the Chief Minister met supporters and leaders angling for a job in his new cabinet, Mr Yadav addressed a press conference in which he said: "The mandate we got is that this is the fight for Delhi against Narendra Modi and to rein in communal and fascist forces."
Mr Yadav, whose RJD emerged as the single largest party in Bihar, added: "The government here is going to run smoothly. This fight is going to continue in other states. This fight is against (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi. I appeal to all to save the nation...Many people in the country feel that Modi works exactly like a Sangh Pracharak (RSS volunteer) even when he's in office or campaigning." The RSS or Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is the ideological mentor of the BJP.
The 'Grand Alliance' that combined Nitish Kumar's party JDU, Lalu Yadav's RJD and the Congress has won 178 seats in Bihar, which is a two-thirds majority in the 243-member state assembly. The BJP and its allies have had to settle for 58 seats.
Both Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav have called the Bihar verdict a sign that people want a strong opposition at the national level. Ahead of five state elections next year, the 'Grand Alliance' is being seen as a template for parties seeking to prevent PM Modi's march towards unrestricted power in states.
Mr Yadav, who was barred from contesting polls after being convicted of corruption, yesterday asserted that while Nitish Kumar would "look after Bihar", he would travel across the nation to start a movement against the BJP.
He may be looking beyond Bihar but his debutant sons Tejaswi and Tej Pratap, who have both won from their seats, are expected to be included in Nitish Kumar's cabinet.