Patna

As the NDA appeared to register a landslide victory in Bihar on Friday, Patna's skyline saw a visual grammar of its own -- bold, swaggering and unmistakably centred on one man: Nitish Kumar.

As the NDA's advantage solidified through the morning, freshly minted posters began appearing across the city, leaving no ambiguity about who, in the JD(U)'s telling, remained Bihar's central axis of power.

Outside the chief minister's residence, a massive poster of Nitish Kumar standing beside a crouching tiger, with the tagline 'tiger abhi zinda hai' (the tiger is still alive), became the first showstopper of the morning. The imagery was not subtle. It was defiant, triumphant, and unmistakably aimed at setting the tone before the numbers settled.

Through the day, more posters sprouted across arterial stretches, roundabouts, party offices and neighbourhood corners, as though Patna itself had been cast in a JD(U) production.

Posters of Nitish Kumar appear in Patna as NDA surges ahead 

One declared: 'Humaare Bihar mein ek star, har baar Nitish Kumar' (in our Bihar, there is only one star; every time, it is Nitish Kumar). The design was more striking, a towering image of Nitish, with a smaller photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the backdrop.

Another went even further, stating simply, 'Bihar ka matlab Nitish Kumar' (Bihar means Nitish Kumar), a sweeping assertion that sought to blur the line between the individual and the state's identity.

Political observers said the visual grammar made the JD(U)'s message crystal clear: In Bihar's political theatre, Nitish Kumar is not just the protagonist, he is the plot.

"The line 'Hamaare Bihar mein ek star' is not just praise. It is a reminder that whatever the arithmetic at the Centre, Bihar's leadership mantle is that of Nitish ji," a JD(U) worker told a TV channel, pointing to the posters.

Scene in the JD(U) party office in Patna

Even though the BJP was leading in more seats than the JD(U), the posters doubled as a calibrated counter to weeks of speculation, fanned by the Mahagathbandhan and pockets of the political commentariat that the BJP might project a new CM face after the polls. Both parties had publicly dismissed the buzz, but the visuals on Friday morning appeared crafted to silence it once and for all.

For the JD(U) cadre, the posters worked as reassurance and assertion in equal measure: reassurance that Nitish was firmly in command, and assertion that within the NDA, hierarchy had its own logic, and Nitish Kumar remained its senior-most partner in Bihar.

The visuals appeared almost in lockstep with counting trends.

"Tasveerein baatein karte hain, picture abhi baki hain (photographs tell a story, the film is not yet over)," said a JD(U) worker dancing outside the party office.

By late afternoon, as the NDA surged ahead in 197 seats and the Mahagathbandhan lagged at 40, the posters took on sharper meaning.

People watching live coverage of the election result in Patna

in Within the NDA, the BJP led in 90 seats, ahead of the JD(U)'s 79. The LJP (Ram Vilas) added 20 leads, and the HAM(S) and RLM four each.

On the other side, the Mahagathbandhan's figures were anchored by the RJD's 30, followed by Congress (five), CPI(ML) Liberation (four), and CPI(M) (one).

AIMIM was ahead in five seats and the BSP in one.

At several spots, groups of JD(U) workers stood posing beside the posters as though unveiling a premature victory banner.

"Sirf trends aaye hain, par message clear hai. Nitish ji politics ka asli tiger hain (only trends have emerged, but the message is clear: Nitish Kumar is the real tiger of politics)," a worker said, grinning into a TV camera.

When asked about the 'tiger zinda hai' posters surfacing outside Nitish's residence, BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal brushed aside the episode with a smile: "His stature is bigger than a tiger. Much bigger."

JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar attributed the NDA's strong early leads to welfare schemes prioritised under Nitish Kumar's leadership.

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"Nitish Kumar ji will remain the chief minister as long as he wishes. His will, the people's aspiration and the NDA's resolve are aligned," he said.