IN this season of scams, the Bihar assembly election outcome comes as welcome relief. The massive endorsement given to Nitish Kumar, who sought a fresh mandate for his record in office and emphasized a politics of governance over caste and communal paradigms, has far-reaching implications not just in Bihar but also for the rest of India, said The Times of India in an editorial published Thursday. Excerpts: A better-governed Bihar, one of India's most populated and underdeveloped states, will have a positive impact on the social and economic profile of the country. The Bihar verdict is extraordinary for a variety of reasons. The scale of the result itself is astounding because no political party or coalition has swept assembly elections in Bihar in this manner in recent times. The success of the Janata Dal (United)-BJP combine is comprehensive. The wins have come from across the state, and a three-fourths majority could not have been possible but for support cutting across caste and communal divides. Clearly, Nitish Kumar's tenure as chief minister has been a departure from the chaos under Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi. Nitish didn't radically transform Bihar, but gave Biharis hope of a better future. The turnaround in the law and order situation, a prerequisite for state building, was the first step towards realising that. A beginning was made in building infrastructure in the state. Roads, bridges and culverts were built which made it possible for people to travel and made small businesses viable. School education got a fillip with massive recruitment of teachers, while school-going girls were given uniforms and bicycles. The rise in enrolment figures and fall in school dropout rates indicate that these interventions have succeeded. Women have been major beneficiaries of these interventions and they voted in large numbers, presumably for Nitish and allies. The challenge now is to deliver on the mandate. The current consensus in Bihar is for social peace and economic development. __
