Patna Powershift: Mood swings among comma, question mark and exclamation mark

There seemed no element of surprise in what Nitish had just done — “woh kisi ke nahi ho sakte hain (he cannot be trusted by anyone),” said one party functionary — and the common refrain seemed to be one of “good riddance”. Most people at the office said the party’s state unit had long wanted to come out of Nitish’s shadow — he “perhaps wanted to change BJP’s state president and Assembly Speaker”, as some workers put it.

In one corner, the Tricolour was being distributed to party workers in preparation for the “Har Ghar Tiranga” programme in the run-up to Independence Day. No visibly anxious faces were around. In fact, some of them congratulated each other.

If there was one regret, it was that some state ministers from BJP, including Syed Shahnawaz Husaain (industry) and Nitin Mabin (road construction), were “doing very well”. State BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal later said, “Nitish Kumar is a habitual betrayer.”

Just over 2 km ahead, the excitement was palpable outside Lalu Prasad’s residence at 10, Circular Road — Nitish stays close by at 7, Circular Road. There was a huge gathering of SUVs and cars, parked on either side of the road, and a bit of traffic snarl was visible. Supporters shouted slogans to hail Llau, Nitish and Tejashwi. The lane had come alive again after five years.

However, the Chief Minister’s residence at 1, Anne Marg — its rear gate opens near Lalu’s residence — did not have the same level of excitement after Nitish had pulled out of the NDA in 2013, and the Grand Alliance in 2017. Several non-supporters passing by wondered why Nitish did what he did, and why he does that so often.

It was only when Nitish went inside Raj Bhavan that some people came with a couple of dozen JD(U) flags and shouted slogans, and a few second-rung party leaders came forward to sing praises of Nitish Kumar.

Patna is poised for interesting times. Again.