No other state participates in the democratic process with such unhindered passion and electoral frenzy as Bihar. Come voting day, and polling booths and ballot papers become the focus of attention all over the state as rival political parties battle for the hearts and minds -- and limbs and heads -- of the voter. Predictions about Bihar's polling fortunes are usually dead right. Here's how the voters decide on which candidate to vote for in the country's most fiercely contested electoral arena.

1st Voter: So neighbour, whom did you vote for?

2nd Voter: Laloo Prasad. After all, he has been to jail and anybody who has been to jail is always worth voting for in our constituency.

3rd Voter: That's an old wives tale. You should have voted for Danda Prasad. Just look at his qualifications. This is his first election and he has already captured 420 booths and intimidated thousands of voters. I like his style. He shows great promise.

1st Voter: That's nothing. My candidate, Khoon Pasand, is the most qualified. He has 20 cases of dacoity and rape against his name. When he walks into a village, even the police come out to help him rig the ballot papers. That's the kind of candidate to vote for.

Village Idiot: You two seem to set your sights too low. You should have voted for Shotgun Sinha. I have seen him killing 20 people with one bullet while raping the heroine at the same time. His election dialogue is fantastic. And even when he is killed at the end, he always manages to come back ...

3rd Voter: That's only in the movies you idiot. Even then he is no comparison to my candidate, Thakur Murda Ram. He has killed 47 candidates who dared to stand against him. That's why he now carries an AK-47 as proof. He even carries a cellular phone like Raju Bhaiyya. He is a sure-shot winner.

Village Headman: This is no way to choose a candidate. Why can't you people vote for someone like Mister Saaf, he has never indulged in corruption, has no criminal cases against his name and always helps us poor villagers ...

1st Voter: You are very naive for a village headman. Such people cannot rule in Bihar. Here there is only one book of rules which decides who comes to power.

Village Headman: Which one is that?