But he doesn't want to shut the door completely on the Yadav family as that could create problems for him in 2019.

'Nitish Kumar thinks the matter will keep Lalu in check and that he will remain in power without any challenge from the RJD.'

The so-called soil scam has left Lalu alone in the Mahagathbandhan.

The state government has introduced a new, more stringent law by which offenders could be jailed for up to seven years and make them poorer by Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

For the moment, Siwan is once again Shahabuddin's home.

Prohibition is resulting in prisons getting overcrowded.

Year after year, floods cause mayhem in Bihar but the government is not paying adequate attention to water management.

On Monday, August 29, a court in Saran, Bihar, sentenced the headmistress of the school where 23 children died after eating a mid-day meal to 17 years in prison. Three years after that tragedy, discovers Satyavrat Mishra, the state government has failed to learn its lessons.

Incentives for industries have been rolled back and teachers have gone without salary for months as the state grapples with the after-effects of the ban

The reputation of Bihar's schools has taken a knock. Satyavrat Mishra explains how a student-teacher nexus has gamed the system to produce toppers by the dozen.

Rampant crime challenges the chief minister's promise to maintain law and order. But some say there are other forces at play.

The political turmoil in Bihar has pushed the law and order to the back burner.

While the RJD has decided to deploy 50 tamtams, the JD-U has hired PM Modi's former campaign advisor to engage voters and counter the BJP.

While the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Janata Dal-United are busy fighting each other, the BJP is trying not to repeat the mistakes it made the last time out, says Satyavrat Mishra

Bharatiya Janata Party senior leader Sushil Kumar Modi talks to Satyavrat Mishra about the prospects of the party in Bihar. Modi says only the assembly elections or general elections are the true barometers of popularity. Edited excerpts:

There are no permanent friends or foes in politics. It's true that the RJD supported us on the trust vote, but it doesn't mean we needed them, says Bihar new chief minister, Jitan Ram Manjhi.

Rumours of acute scarcity of salt triggered panic buying in half dozen districts of Bihar