The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) stormed back to power in Bihar on Friday with a sweeping mandate, crushing the Mahagathbandhan and reaffirming both Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s political resilience. The verdict dealt a severe blow to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and its key ally, the Congress, with their seat tally falling to the lowest in 15 years.
The magnitude of the NDA’s victory was evident as its two principal constituents, the BJP and JD(U), achieved an impressive strike rate of nearly 85 per cent in the 101 seats each contested, while the alliance secured a three-fourths majority in the 243-member Assembly.
With the NDA securing a massive tally of 202 seats, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, followed closely by its ally, the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U), which secured 85 seats. The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), led by Chirag Paswan, won 19 seats. The Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), headed by Jitan Ram Manjhi, bagged five seats, while the Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Morcha won four seats.
The Mahagathbandhan managed to secure only 34 seats. The RJD slumped to 25 seats from 75, while the Congress managed only six of the 61 seats it contested, down from 19. The CPI(ML) Liberation won two seats and the CPI(M) one. Among others, the AIMIM won five seats, while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Indian Inclusive Party secured one seat each.
Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party, touted by some as the “X factor” in the polls, drew a blank despite raising issues such as unemployment and migration.
WHAT SEALED NDA TRIUMPH
A combination of state and central welfare schemes, including cash transfers to women, social security pension hikes, and the widely publicised ‘Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana’, helped the NDA consolidate support across caste and community groups. Over one crore women received 10,000 each through the scheme, bolstering Nitish Kumar’s women-centric plank.
The NDA’s wider caste coalition, targeted appeals to EBC households, and sustained criticism of the ‘jungle raj’ during the RJD’s tenure further strengthened its hold. A record turnout of women voters, many of whom backed the liquor ban, played a decisive role.
The alliance also performed unexpectedly well in several Muslim-dominated constituencies, pointing to possible shifts in voting patterns.
PM’S NEW ‘MY’ FORMULA
Addressing jubilant party workers at the BJP headquarters in Delhi, Prime Minister Modi said the people of Bihar had “taken the state by storm” with their emphatic support. Waving a ‘gamcha’ as he accepted greetings, Modi hailed the mandate as a reflection of “unshakable confidence” in the NDA.
PM Modi said the verdict had ushered in a new “MY – Mahila and Youth” formula, replacing what he termed the “communal MY formula”, a reference to the RJD’s Muslim-Yadav base. “This victory has given Bihar a new ‘positive MY’,” he said.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, overcoming anti-incumbency concerns, thanked voters for the “landslide” mandate. “People have expressed their confidence in our government. I bow to all the voters and express my heartfelt gratitude,” he wrote on X, also thanking Modi for his support.
The defeat is embarrassing for Mahagathbandhan, particularly for it’s Chief Ministerial candidate, Tejashwi Yadav, despite pre-poll surveys projecting him as the preferred leader. While Yadav managed to retain his Raghopur seat, the alliance struggled to hold on to its traditional strongholds.
The Congress has been dubbed the “weak link” in the INDIA bloc, as its disastrous performance continues a negative trend in state elections. Rahul Gandhi’s campaign, built around “vote chori” (vote theft) allegations, failed to resonate with voters.
TO RESONATE BEYOND BIHAR
The BJP’s strong showing further consolidates its position as the dominant political force nationally, offsetting any perceived setbacks from last year’s Lok Sabha polls. The Bihar result comes on the heels of the party’s emphatic performances in Delhi, Maharashtra and Haryana.
The mandate also raises questions about the very foundation of the INDIA bloc, with growing scrutiny of the Congress’s leadership.
For many political observers, the Bihar outcome is seen as a potential prelude to the Assembly polls scheduled in West Bengal and Assam over the next six months, further cementing the BJP’s position as the dominant political force in the country.
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