Some heaved a sigh of relief after Nitish Kumar took oath of office. " Chalo, ho gaya. Ho gaya na (Phew! it's done, isn't it)" 46-year-old Shyam Sundar asked. His friend replied: "He won. Why do you worry so much?" Shyam said: "Anything could have happened till he took oath," his gaze fixed on one of three giant screens where Nitish was seen thanking the governor. It was around 2pm.
Gandhi Maidan was bustling with activity since around 12.30pm. Everybody wanted a seat from where they could see Nitish 3 come alive. The chairs filled up in no time. Many had to stand. They chose a place close to the screens that were telecasting the proceedings live.
Mohammed Ishrafil (50) of Phulwari Sharif came dressed in green and a cardboard lantern fixed on his head. "The last time I saw someone from RJD take oath was when Rabri Devi became chief minister in the late 90s. My green stands for the poor, backwards and minorities and the two greens,JDU and RJD, are now one," he said, drawing loud cheer.
Another loud cheer echoed at 1.20pm when Lalu Prasad arrived. " Aa gaya hamra netaji (Here comes my leader)," shouted Ramesh Kumar Yadav, an intermediate student, his voice amplified as he shone on the screens. "I attended one of Narendra Modi's rallies. I waived my gamcha (cotton towel). He (Modi) probably didn't get it. Waiving the gamcha meant 'go Modi go'," he said, standing up on seeing Nitish arrive around 1.22pm.
Some youngsters mistook a guest to be L.K. Advani. "Advani too is here," they yelled before seniors corrected them. Stopped by a policeman from jumping a bamboo barrier, a youngster uttered the mantra Nitish made famous - " Vikas ke saath nyaya bhi hona chahiye (Development should be accompanied by justice)." The cop smiled and let him jump.
When the screens showed the BJP's Sushil Kumar Modi and Nand Kishore Yadav, a roar went up as someone shouted " supra saaf (routed)." Next moment, the crowd was cheering Farooq and Omar Abdullah.
Lalu and Nitish warmly greeted Prime Minister Modi's representative Venkaiah Naidu, who later sat beside the RJD chief.
In the audience, M.D Mentu (20), from Katihar, in the audience, wondered aloud: "What are they talking? And in which language? Does Naidu know Hindi?" But he forgot all that as Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal arrived, sending the crowds berserk. "Here come India's 'common man' and 'common woman'," Hajipur resident Ram Prakash Kumar shouted. Rabri Devi, who was taking a selfie with a dignitary, immediately sprang to her feet and embraced Mamata.
The crowd didn't cheer Tej Pratap as much as they did Tejaswi during oath-taking. But when Governor Ram Nath Kovind asked Tej Pratap to repeat his oath because of a mistake, they were irked. "He's just a kid. Why should the governor embarrass him this way," Sanjay Kumar from Kadamkuan said.
Just as the enthusiasm was beginning to wane, Rahul Gandhi arrived and slogans of "Rahul Gandhi zindabad" went up. On a cue from Lalu, Rahul waved again.
At 3.15pm, the new ministers gathered on the stage. Lalu parked himself near Nitish. As crowds cheered Lalu's sons, Tej Pratap signalled his mother to join them. "This is a true son. Didn't forget his mom," said a lady, as she readied to leave Gandhi Maidan.
