Congress faces an existential crisis in Bihar after the NDA alliance swept the state assembly race, leaving the opposition bloc fractured and struggling for relevance.
Pre-poll surveys pointed to a tight contest, yet results delivered a starkly different picture. The BJP–Nitish Kumar alliance crushed its rivals, despite Rahul Gandhi’s aggressive push on the campaign trail, including a “Voter Rights March” and repeated claims of fraud.
Congress, which won 19 seats in the previous election, dropped to six this time. The party’s attempt to counter the “Modi wave” failed to gain momentum, even as leaders claimed they were poised for a comeback.
NDA’s dominant win surpassed its own expectations. While surveys indicated an edge for the ruling coalition, none predicted the scale of the victory. The alliance secured over 200 of the 243 seats, outperforming its previous tally. Analysts say the result mirrors voter frustration with the opposition and a decisive shift toward development-based promises.
Despite losing the last Lok Sabha polls, the opposition had mounted a strong challenge nationwide. Allegations of religious polarization, voter fraud, and corruption charges surrounding the ruling coalition led many to believe the Congress-led bloc held firm ground in Bihar’s assembly race. The results, however, told another story.
Rahul Gandhi campaigned extensively across the state, organizing marches focused on voting rights and raising claims of election rigging by BJP and the Election Commission. Yet the Mahagathbandhan, which held the highest seat count in the last assembly, managed only 25 this time. Congress fell from 19 to six seats, and the alliance failed to cross even 40 seats in total.
Political analysts say while the opposition concentrated on charges of election theft and administrative irregularities. NDA captured voters with promises of development and women’s empowerment. Bihar’s ruling coalition introduced multiple programs aimed at boosting female economic independence, measures analysts believe played a key role in shaping voting patterns.
Observers note that Congress’s base in Bihar—primarily Muslims, Dalits, and other marginalized communities—received no clear roadmap for social or economic uplift during the campaign. Many from these groups shifted toward Nitish Kumar’s party in the absence of concrete pledges from the Congress camp.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV‘s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Editor-In-Chief Rahul Kanwal, Paswan said the 2020 results were deeply affected by the split within the ruling NDA. The rift, he added, was the reason why Tejashwi Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal could reach the high figure of 75 and become the single largest party.
Internal rifts worsened the situation. Several candidates who defected from BJP to Congress days before the election began shifting back after the defeat. Highlighting long-standing gaps between Congress leaders and grassroots workers.
Next year, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Assam head to assembly polls. Analysts warn that unless Congress overhauls its strategy, the BJP’s winning streak may continue uninterrupted.
Fresh off the Bihar victory, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pivoted attention to West Bengal. Addressing party workers at BJP headquarters in Delhi, he said the “victory march from Bihar will reach Bengal.” Comparing the political momentum to the flow of the Ganga River. He assured Bengal voters that BJP would join hands with them to “end the era of jungle raj.”
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Bihar also witnessed a historic first: Maithili Thakur, only 25, became the youngest MLA in the state’s history. The BJP candidate from Alinagar secured a decisive win, defeating veteran RJD leader Binod Mishra by more than 11,000 votes. A professional singer, Thakur made her political debut in this election—and won by a commanding margin.
