Bihar Election 2025: The results of the Bihar Assembly Election 2025 have delivered a historic mandate. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has decisively defeated the opposition’s Mahagathbandhan coalition by winning over 200 seats in the 243-member assembly, while the opposition managed to secure only around 35 seats. This clear mandate ensures Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will return for his fifth consecutive term, marking his long-standing influence over Bihar politics.
NDA’s Dominant Performance
The Election Commission confirmed NDA’s overwhelming victory with a tally of approximately 198 seats. The BJP emerged as the single largest party in the state with 91 seats, followed closely by Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) with 83 seats. Other NDA allies such as Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) won 19 seats and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) secured 5 seats.
In contrast, the Mahagathbandhan alliance led by RJD managed a poor showing with just about 25-27 seats for RJD and only a handful of seats for Congress and allied parties. The Congress party faced its worst-ever performance in the state, winning barely 5-6 seats despite contesting over 60 constituencies.
Tejashwi Yadav’s Narrow Victory in Raghupur
RJD’s chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav retained his family bastion of Raghupur after a tough battle, winning by a margin of around 14,000 votes against BJP’s Satish Kumar. His personal win, however, did little to rally broader voter support for the opposition.
Record Voter Turnout: Highest in Bihar’s History
Bihar witnessed a record voter turnout of approximately 67.13% across the two-phase polling conducted on 6th and 11th November 2025, the highest ever in the state since its first assembly election. The female voter turnout notably surpassed male turnout with 71.6% participation, highlighting the increasing political engagement of women in Bihar.
PM Modi’s ‘MY Factor’ credited for the win
Prime Minister Narendra Modi credited the NDA’s victory to the new “MY factor” – ‘Mahila & Yuva’ (Women and Youth). Modi highlighted that while opposition focused on the Muslim-Yadav (MY) vote bank politics, NDA’s success came from its welfare schemes impacting millions of women and young voters. Modi hailed the mandate as a victory of good governance and social justice.
Caste Arithmetic and Voting Patterns
Caste politics played a decisive role once again. EBC (Extremely Backward Classes) constitute about 36% of Bihar’s population and largely supported NDA candidates. The NDA also captured substantial votes from OBCs, SCs, and even traditional Muslim-majority areas where the opposition expected stronghold. The consolidation of non-Yadav OBCs and the effective outreach to women voters tilted the scales decisively against the opposition.
Congress’ Worst Performance
Congress’s poor performance added to the opposition’s woes as it failed to regain lost ground, winning only a handful of seats compared to previous elections. Rahul Gandhi’s campaign failed to sway voters amidst strong competition from NDA’s social welfare narrative and BJP’s national leadership appeal.
Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party Fails to Make an Impact
The debut election of political strategist Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party ended in failure, as the party could not win any seat despite contesting extensively. The party failed to convert its promises into electoral gains, highlighting the challenges of breaking Bihar’s entrenched caste-based politics.
AIMIM Strengthens in Seemanchal
Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) emerged as a strategic winner, retaining its five seats in the Seemanchal region, an area with high Muslim population. AIMIM’s continued presence contributed to fragmentation of the Muslim vote, often considered a key factor in NDA’s edge.
Nitish Kumar’s Continued Reign
Nitish Kumar’s consecutive fifth term as CM underlines his enduring political acumen and ability to build wider caste and community coalitions. His governance focus on social welfare schemes like bicycle distribution, scholarships, and direct benefit transfers resonated strongly with voters, particularly women.
BJP’s Growing Dominance in Bihar
The BJP has solidified its presence in Bihar with its highest tally ever in the state at 91 seats, surpassing JD(U). This marks a significant shift where BJP plays the role of the ‘big brother’ in the alliance, a contrast to previous elections.
Opposition’s Failures & Lessons
The opposition’s reliance on Muslim-Yadav vote bank politics, internal factionalism, and lack of effective campaign strategies led to their poor showing. Promises like massive government jobs failed to convince voters facing real economic concerns.
The Bihar 2025 election results set the tone for national politics as well, reinforcing the strength of NDA and Prime Minister Modi’s electoral appeal. The outcome highlights the ongoing importance of caste dynamics but also the growing influence of women and youth voters. With Nitish Kumar at the helm, Bihar is expected to continue focusing on welfare-driven governance.
