The first firecrackers were exploded in the BJP office located on Beerchand Patel Path after 9 am when the trends showed NDA ahead of Mahagathbandhan. After 10 am the crackers were heard outside the offices of the RJD and JD(U), a few yards away from the BJP office. Crowd started dispersing from the BJP office and soon the offices of two rival parties were chock-a-block with slogan shouting brigades pouring in. They were sprinkling dry colour, preferably green at each other.
Soon the cheering and slogan-shouting crowd started gathering outside the residences of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD supremo lalu Prasad situated two blocks away. Baskets of high powered crackers were brought and were exhausted in no time. Band parties were brought which continued playing film song tunes.
Sitting causally under a canopy with about 50 chairs spread mostly occupied by the top officials and media people, Nitish accepted the greetings, garlands and bouquets and replied to calls on the two extension phones kept on a table besides him. He asked an aide to call Prashant Kishore, his chief poll strategist and publicity in-charge. Kishore came attired in kurta pajama and sat close to him showing papers on the latest trends and results. Nitish felt concerned about the trailing of some of his candidates. “In 2010 by this time all the results had been declared,” he said at around 2.30 pm.
“Technically this will be my third term as CM but this will be the fifth time I will be sworn in,” he said recounting the swearing in January last when he replaced Jitan Ram Manjhi and also in 1995 when he was CM only for seven days.
Among the stream of selected visitors were conjoined twin girls Saba and Fraha. The CM welcomed them and gave a table for them to sit. Their brother told Nitish that the two sisters had been insisting since morning to personally go and greet the CM.
“I am not interested in recalling what the top leaders of the NDA said about me in sarcastic manner. This is the time to honour the strong verdict of the people and I bow before them,” he commented. He was quite surprised that the BJP started celebrations on the basis of the postal ballots. A number of top journos of the country coming from Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata had gathered around him. The print journalists were teasing their electronic counterparts for the misleading exit polls which created a lot of confusion.
Hearing the crackers explosions, an aide recalled, “The PM had announced that Biharis would celebrate Diwali twice. That is proving right.”
Noted Urdu poet Munawwar Rana, who recently hit the headlines by returning his Sahitya Academy Award on a TV programme phoned to congratulate Nitish. He recited one of his couplet: Mahak mein phoolon ki bad-e-saba bhi shamil hai; Tere urooj mein meri dua bhi shamil hai (In your victory my good wishes are also included like the role of the air for the fragrance of flowers). Nitish accepted his greetings with a broad smile. Many top babus came with bouquets and the CM rose every time to welcome them.