In Rajgir, Bihar — once the capital of the Magadha Empire — amid its hot springs, cut out caves, Buddhist monasteries and gentle undulating fields, I witnessed a dramatic and discernible shift in Indian politics.

This was, after all, the home base of Nitish Kumar, the beleaguered chief minister, where we were following political strategist-turned-politician, Prashant Kishor (PK), on the campaign trail. He had brought his fight straight to the home turf of the man on whose side he had once worked. There was a sea of supporters thronging to get a glimpse of PK, whose political party, Jan Suraaj, turned a year old this week. Of course, before announcing the formation of Jan Suraaj, Kishor spent time walking across the state on foot, in the sort of mass contact padyatra he used to help craft for other leaders during a different stage of his life.

Though those opposed to the BJP have sometimes caricatured PK as the party’s “B Team”, what I saw and heard belied that criticism and rhetoric entirely.

First, among the young people at the Rajgir Sabha, who pushed and shoved almost hysterically for the chance to shake Kishor’s hand through his car window, there was what I can only call a desperate hunger for hope and change. Most were young men, mostly between the ages of 17 and 25, with their whole lives ahead of them — hoping that here, finally, was something........

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