Joyous scenes were witnessed outside the JD(U) headquarters in Patna, with party workers bursting firecrackers, smearing 'gulaal' on one another, and playing drums, as NDA led in 186 seats in the 243-member Bihar assembly.
What began as a cautious cluster of workers glued to their mobile phones quickly morphed into a swelling carnival as the Election Commission's updates kept nudging the NDA deeper into a commanding lead.
The JD(U)'s own 76-seat lead electrified the crowd, prompting a volley of cheers and rounds of fireworks that left the air thick with acrid smoke. A giant poster of Nitish Kumar was lifted above the crowd, its edges snapping in the November breeze.
"Nitish ji ki paanchvi jeet likhi ja chuki hai... bas formalities baaki hain! (Nitish ji's fifth victory is already written... only the formalities remain!)" a jubilant worker told a Hindi news channel.
A row of elderly loyalists sat under a makeshift tarpaulin, softly beating a 'dholak'. "2005 se lekar aaj tak... logon ne dekha hai kaun sarkar chalata hai aur kaun sirf hawa banata hai, (From 2005 till today, people know who actually governs and who just makes noise)," said Ramesh Yadav, a booth worker from Nalanda who claimed he had attended every JD(U) celebration since Nitish's debut win.
The celebration had all the theatrics of a milestone moment. A youth group marched with a giant green thermocol arrow, the poll symbol of JD(U), chanting, "Teer chalega, Bihar badega!" (the arrow will strike, Bihar will progress!).
Buckets of steaming 'jalebis' appeared and disappeared within minutes as workers abandoned any attempt at forming a queue. Green 'gulaal' drifted onto shawls, motorcycles, and even the boots of policemen manning the gate, one of whom smiled wryly and said, "Paanchvi jeet ka josh alag hi hota hai (the excitement of a fifth win has its own energy)."
With the BJP adding 85 leads and allies LJP (RV) and HAM(S) strengthening the NDA's surge, the celebrations intensified further. By noon, the street outside the office was carpeted with firecracker debris, streaks of green 'gulaal', and squashed sweet wrappers, an unplanned mural of a party certain it was witnessing history repeat itself.