Another interesting pointer to the consecutive victories of NDA in by-polls in the state was the gradual shift of the mythical Muslim votes of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad to Nitish.

This was particularly evident in the victory of NDA in the minority dominated Bhagalpur lok sabha seat and Manihari assembly seat last year. In the minority dominated Manihari assembly seat, the Congress was shocked to loose it to JD(U) last year. The Congress never had lost this seat since independence.

The shift of minority votes, besides consolidation of votes from the majority, in favour of Nitish seemed to be primarily because of a number of development initiatives undertaken by him for the mainstreaming of the Muslims.

Besides, Nitish never treated Muslims as a vote bank. Nor he ignored them despite his association with the BJP. He already reopened some old cases in the infamous Bhagalpur riot of 1989 under then Congress government claiming over 1,000 lives to do justice to the minority.

Even though RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, often referred him as the "messiah " for the Muslims, it was Nitish who first had raised the issue for the reservation of dalit Muslims on the lines of SC and ST of Hindus. The Congress too now supports this demand.

A jubilant Nitish, after the victory chose to dedicate it to the people of Bihar for reposing confidence on him for the promised turnaround of the state as a developed one by 2015.