All-out poster war in Bihar

Nowhere is the battle for Bihar more evident than in the posters and billboards dotting the state. One poster reads: "Nitish ke netritya mein, Lalu ke saath, Congress ka haath (With Nitish as our leader along with Lalu, stands the Congress)." In a way, it marks the striking changes in the state's political contours since the last Assembly elections in 2010. Then, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)], Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress were all opposed to each other. JD(U) was in a coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party, now a sworn opponent. At a busy crossing in Patna, one can see a huge poster of the JD(U) with the slogan: "Bihar mein bahaar hon, Nitish Kumar hon (Let Bihar be prosperous, let it have Nitish Kumar)." Right below is a BJP poster trolling it: "Kal taak ke jaani dushman aaj satta ke yaar hain/Haan bhaiya, Bihar mein bahaar hain (Sworn enemies of yesterday are now friends for power/Yes, Bihar is prosperous)."