Ludhiana:
Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar holding hands was the moment Nitish had said would never happen.
Until Sunday, Nitish had been backing off a public meeting with Narendra Modi over the issue of communal politics.
When asked by NDTV some time back whether or nor he would share a stage with Narendra Modi, he answered: "Not at all. Why should I?"
"If there is a NDA rally?" he was further asked. "There is absolutely no need for it," Nitish responded.
On Sunday, with friendly gestures Narendra Modi made sure that everybody got the message. Nitish did not consider him untouchable.
"In Bihar, Nitish Kumar has revolutionised agriculture," said the Gujarat Chief Minister.
But there's a second bird killed, as it were, with the Nitish stone.
With the Bihar Chief Minister among them, the NDA sent a blunt message to the Congress and Left, which have been covertly and overtly appealing for Nitish to join them.
"He will be with us. We have been in touch with him," West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had said.
On Sunday, the Left simply refused to comment.
The Congress, however, believes Nitish may keep his options open after the elections.
"It is all politics and on the eve of elections, he will only speak out against Congress," says Congress leader Kapil Sibal.
The BJP-led rally may have come with barely 24 hours left for the end of the campaign. But the very fact that they have their most prized ally on the same stage won't be lost on their opponents.