NDA Sweeps Bihar Assembly Polls, Historic victory smashes Opposition

Patna/New Delhi, Nov 14 (UNI): In a dramatic and decisive mandate, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) swept the Bihar Assembly elections on Friday, stunning the opposition Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) and securing 202 of the 243 seats—one of the biggest victories in the state’s electoral history.

The Congress-RJD-Left Grand Alliance suffered a severe setback, managing only 35 seats, a steep fall from its 2020 tally of 110.

Speaking in New Delhi as the trends solidified, Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated the victory, declaring, “Jungle Raj will now never return to Bihar.” Jubilant party workers erupted in celebrations across Patna and Delhi.

Despite the JD(U) securing fewer seats than its ally BJP, Nitish Kumar is expected to return as Chief Minister. However, political observers anticipate tensions within the alliance, as the BJP has now emerged as the senior partner with 89 seats, compared to the JD(U)’s 85.

In the previous election, the BJP had won 75 seats, while JD(U) had managed 43. This time, JD(U) nearly doubled its tally, reflecting a significant resurgence. Other NDA constituents also performed strongly: Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) led by Chirag Paswan won 19 seats, Hindusthan Awam Morcha (Secular) secured five, and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha captured four.

The Mahagathbandhan’s performance was dismal across the board. The RJD, once the dominant force, managed only 25 seats—less than half of its 2020 figure of 53. The Congress collapsed to just six seats, down from 19. CPI-ML (Liberation) won two seats, while CPI-M and the India Inclusive Party bagged one each.

Outside the major alliances, AIMIM made notable gains with five seats, largely cutting into the GA’s Muslim vote base in Seemanchal. The BSP secured one seat.

Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraj Party, launched amid much publicity, failed to make any impact. Despite contesting 238 seats, it could garner only two per cent of the vote, with nearly all candidates losing their deposits.

Celebrations erupted across NDA offices. Addressing supporters at BJP headquarters in Delhi, PM Modi said, “Good governance has won, development has won, and the pro-people spirit has won.” He thanked Bihar’s voters for their historic verdict and said the result reaffirmed the public’s trust in the Election Commission.

Nitish Kumar thanked the people for their confidence, saying the NDA fought the election with complete unity. In a post on X, he expressed gratitude for the “huge mandate.”

The JD(U) highlighted the decisive role of women voters, saying their trust had powered the alliance’s victory. “The trust of Bihar’s women has triumphed… the NDA has triumphed, Bihar has triumphed,” the party posted.