When our flight touched down at the Patna airport, the first thing that caught my eye was change, visible, tangible change. The new terminal building gleamed with modern architecture, and large posters celebrating Bihar's identity through the Chhath festival welcomed every visitor. It was hard not to feel that the state capital was trying to reinvent its image.

Outside, as we boarded our taxi, I asked the driver the inevitable question: "Maahol kaisa hai?"

He grinned in the rearview mirror and replied, "Bhaiya, is baar to Modi ji ko hi laayenge," before breaking into a local jingle, "Chahe noon roti khaayenge, Modiya ko hi jeetayenge!" I couldn't help but laugh, but curiosity got the better of me. "Why NDA again?" I asked.

He didn't hesitate. "Could you imagine such clean roads and be

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