India, Oct. 3 -- In Rajgir, Bihar - once the capital of the Magadha Empire - amid its hot springs, cut out caves, Buddhist monasteries and gentle undulating fields, I witnessed a dramatic and discernible shift in Indian politics.

This was, after all, the home base of Nitish Kumar, the beleaguered chief minister, where we were following political strategist-turned-politician, Prashant Kishor (PK), on the campaign trail. He had brought his fight straight to the home turf of the man on whose side he had once worked. There was a sea of supporters thronging to get a glimpse of PK, whose political party, Jan Suraaj, turned a year old this week. Of course, before announcing the formation of Jan Suraaj, Kishor spent time walking across the state...