Does Nitish Kumar’s victory sound the death knell for caste-based politics in Bihar?

The Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United)-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance has marched to an unprecedented victory in the assembly elections in Bihar.

After winning power in 2005, Nitish Kumar faced the herculean task of clearing the mess that Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi’s 15-year rule had made of one of India’s most backward states.

Kumar set about cutting down the crime rate, rebuilding the state's infrastructure, and ensuring public welfare. This was in stark contrast with the Lalu-Rabri era, which was riddled with corruption, caste-based politics, and stagnation.  

Five years on, the Kumar-led alliance has been returned to power with a four-fifths majority, something that has probably never happened before in a major state of the Union, while the alliance led by Lalu Prasad has been cut to half its size with Rabri Devi herself losing both the seats she contested.

Does the result imply that Biharis are no longer in thrall of the politics of caste and are focused on development? Do you think the state will rise like a phoenix now?