DAMMAM — Indian expatriates here welcomed the Bihar state Assembly election result in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi's National Democratic Alliance suffered a humiliating defeat giving incumbent Chief Minister Nitish Kumar a record third term in alliance with maverick Lalu Yadav and the Congress party. The Bihar Assembly elections were considered a referendum on Modi, who along with his party president Amit Shah had made the state election a personal challenge. In Al-Khobar's Subaikha, area where there is a concentration of people from Bihar state, it was celebration time. Many sweet shops distributed free sweets to passers-by and people were seen congratulating each other. Many shops had put up TV sets showing result coverage on Indian news channels. Firoz Zaidi, a marketing executive, said the victory of the Grand Alliance was a defining moment in Indian history. "A victory in Bihar that marks the beginning of the end of divisive politics," he said. Dr. Irshad Ahmad, a physician at Dammam Central Hospital, said "the victory of secular and democratic forces in Bihar will give a healing balm to the people suffering from the growing communal intolerance in the country." Anant Kumar Yadav, a civil engineer in a construction company in Al-Khobar, congratulated the people of Bihar for their political maturity and their negation to the politics of "hatred and arrogance." However, Madhu Kant, a system engineer and supporter of Modi, believes that the state will suffer "under the jungle raj of Lalu Yadav and Nitish Kumar." "Mind you, it is just a state election. Modi still enjoys support of millions and millions of Indians. He will bring his promised development to the country. Bihar is just a minor setback," he said. But Dr. Fareeduddin, a physician from Gaya town, said, "The wise and mature people of Bihar have rejected the politics of intolerance and hatred." He said the BJP was the victim of its arrogance and extremely undemocratic approach. Many Bihar associations and cultural bodies have lined up celebrations in the coming days.
