The consummate politician that Nitish was, he swiftly resigned, taking the blame for the rout, and gave the CM’s chair to Jitan Ram Manjhi, a Mahadalit. Manjhi, however, refused to be a puppet and began to grow too big for his boots and defy the leadership. So he was summarily expelled and Nitish was back in the saddle in February 2015, this time with the backing of long-term rival and one-time colleague Lalu. The political wheel had turned. After the grand coalition of JD(U)-RJD-Congress earned its spectacular victory, Nitish was even talked about as a viable face around whom a seemingly listless opposition could coalesce in 2019 to take on Modi.