Covid and its disastrous economic consequences have left Nitish Kumar and his party gasping for breath, not 31-year-old Tejashwi Yadav, asserted KC Tyagi, a spokesperson of the Janata Dal United or JDU, as he appeared to concede defeat just a little before 10 am in Patna. "Brand Nitish" is intact, Mr Tyagi claimed, blaming the politician's slide in the election on "Nature's Fury".