NDA retains power in Bihar, decimates Mahagathbandhan; PM Modi, Nitish hail landslide win
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Patna/New Delhi (PTI): The ruling NDA decimated the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar on Friday to retain power reaffirming Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s enduring appeal and dealing a body blow to the Congress and ally RJD.
The massive scale of the victory of the National Democratic Alliance(NDA) can be gauged from the fact that its two main constituents--BJP and JD(U)--are on course for an over 85 per cent strike rate in 101 seats each they had contested. The alliance is set for a "200 paar" win for a three-fourth majority with BJP emerging as the single largest party, according to latest results and trends at 9.30 pm.
"The people of Bihar, with this massive victory and their unshakable confidence, have taken the state by storm (garda uda diya)," Prime Minister Modi told cheering party workers at BJP headquarters in Delhi in the evening after accepting their greetings by waving a 'gamcha'.
While the BJP won 87 seats, up from 74 in 2020, Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal(U) tasted success in 78 constituencies, up from 43. The majority mark in the 243-member Assembly is 122. The BJP and the JD(U) were leading in two and seven seats respectively.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) seat tally slipped to 24 from 75 and Congress bagged only six out of the 61 seats it contested, down from 19. RJD was leading in one.
Hailing the NDA's huge win, Prime Minister Modi said it has given a new 'MY -- Mahila and Youth' formula with the people destroying the "communal MY formula of the jungle raj people".
In an apparent reference to the Muslim-Yadav support base of the RJD, Modi said that in Bihar some parties had formulated an "MY formula" but today's victory has given a new "positive MY -- Mahila and Youth" formula.
Overcoming anti-incumbency, Chief Minister Kumar thanked people of the state for giving a "landslide" victory for the NDA.
"People of the state have expressed their confidence in our government by giving us a landslide mandate in the polls. For this, I bow to all the esteemed voters of the state, and express my heartfelt gratitude and thanks," Kumar wrote in a post on X.
He also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Modi for his continuous support to the NDA government in the state.
A mix of state and central welfare schemes, including the monetary aid to women as part of NDA's women-centric outreach, a constant reminder of the "jungle raj" during the RJD rule by Modi and other NDA campaigners and the viability of a “double-engine” government appears to have largely contributed to their landslide victory.
Navigating the complex caste and community dynamics, NDA’s wider caste alliance that dented the Mahagatbandhan’s core vote bank, multiple welfare schemes targeted at Economically Backward Class(EBC) households, huge support from women who overwhelmingly supported the liquor ban and from young voters also helped the five-party alliance. One of the most striking features of this election was the extraordinary turnout of women voters.
The NDA also appeared to have done well in Muslim-dominated constituencies, signalling a possible change in voting pattern in these segments.
Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), dubbed the ‘X factor’ in the Bihar polls and whose candidates were in the fray in all but three of the seats, came a cropper.
The party, floated by the former political strategist, failed to galvanise votes in its favour, despite a high-pitched campaign and raising pressing issues such as unemployment, migration and dearth of industries.
Celebrations erupted at the offices of BJP and JD(U) in Patna situated across the street from each other, with workers playing drums, bursting firecrackers and chanting slogans in praise of their respective leaders.
In front of the residence of the chief minister, the JD(U)'s 75-year-old national president, party workers posed for photographs holding aloft posters with the caption 'Tiger Abhi Zinda Hai'.
'Tiger Abhi Zinda Hai' --the title of a Bollywood blockbuster --neatly captured the gist of Chief Minister Kumar's "neither tired nor in a mood to retire" stance.
Shocking his rivals, Kumar, an electrical engineering graduate, had a point to prove in the latest assembly elections, which were held amid speculation of a fatigue factor, if not downright anti-incumbency, made worse by rumours of his indifferent health. He is Bihar's longest serving chief minister whilst also holding the post for his 9th term.
In the run up to the high stakes polls, Kumar, who has earned the nick name of 'sushasan babu' (the man of good governance), aggressively doled out benefits like hike in social security pensions and stipends for Jeevika and Aasha and Aanganwadi workers, besides the much touted 'Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana', as part of which over one crore women have got Rs 10,000 each in their bank accounts.
Kumar was not in the electoral fray this time too as he has consistently taken the legislative council route to enter the state legislature.
BJP's performance would further cement its position as the numero uno political force in the country and also offset whatever setback that might have been caused by last year's Lok Sabha polls when the party had to rely on allies to remain in power in the Centre.
The NDA's tally in Bihar comes in the backdrop of the BJP's back-to-back stunning performances in Delhi, Maharashtra and Haryana. Last year, BJP had won 132 of the 149 seats it had contested in Maharashtra. The strong backing to Chief Minister Kumar by Modi and his ministers during their poll campaign also appeared to have paid rich dividends for the JD(U).
The LJP(RV), headed by Union minister Chirag Paswan, the self-declared "Hanuman" of the Prime Minister, which was left with only 28 candidates in the fray, with nomination papers of one of its nominees getting rejected during scrutiny, won 18 seats and was leading in one constituency.
Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha and Rajya Sabha MP Upendra Kushwah's Rashtriya Lok Morcha, both junior partners in the NDA, won five and four seats respectively. Both parties had contested six seats each. To consolidate Dalit support, the BJP banked on its two key allies--Manjhi and Paswan.
The Mahagathbandhan, which includes the RJD, the Congress and three Left parties, faced a crushing defeat, notwithstanding surveys and opinion polls showing its Chief Ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav as the most preferred leader for the top post.
Yadav, who according to Prime Minister Modi was declared as a chief ministerial candidate after the RJD put a "katta" on the head of its alliance partners, was trailing initially before he recovered ground in Raghopur, the RJD stronghold. He defeated BJP candidate Satish Kumar by 14,532 votes
Mahagatbahndhan also struggled to retain its strongholds. The Muslim and Yadav (M-Y) combination traditionally formed the bedrock of the RJD's support base in Bihar.
It was an embarrassing loss of face for the Congress, often seen as a "weak link" in the INDIA bloc.
Rahul Gandhi’s poll campaign against the BJP that revolved around his "Vote Chori"(vote theft) allegations failed to garner any support.
Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owais's AIMIM, which has often been accused of being a "B-team" of the BJP, won five seats. The party had contested 32 seats.
The NDA's victory in Bihar polls, which were held in two phases amid alleged irregularities in revision of electoral rolls by the Election Commission, is also significant as many see it as a prelude to assembly polls in West Bengal and Assam, scheduled to be held in the next six months.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
