New Delhi: The verdict of Bihar on who would rule it for the next five years will become clear as counting of votes begins later this morning. The choice is between a fourth term for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and a first one for his former deputy, Tejashwi Yadav, candidate of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress and the Left alliance.

The campaign saw Tejashwi Yadav – who took the reins of the party as his father Lalu Yadav was jailed in a string of corruption cases come of age, drawing huge crowds at his rallies across the state. Tejashwi Yadav has been conducting an issue-based campaign. But his promise of signing off on 10 lakh jobs was the big hook, his party said, in the backdrop of the widespread unemployment in the state since the lockdown started in March.

On the last day of the campaign, Nitish Kumar made a shock announcement that this would be his last election. Though his supporters tried to explain it saying he only meant it was the last day, the opposition was not convinced.