India, Nov. 9 -- The Bihar elections opened with opposition parties confident that Nitish Kumar's long incumbency and public fatigue courtesy his 20 years of rule would translate into a difficult contest for the NDA. In the early phase of campaigning, this seemed plausible. The same feeling was also shared by top National Democratic Alliance leaders while interacting with journalists privately, including by two senior BJP Union Ministers, who spoke to this correspondent before and after the poll schedule was announced.

In interviews with voters across rural and semiurban regions in Patna, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, and Samastipur districts, residents expressed a familiar sentiment: 20 years is a long time under the same leadership. The high...