NDA takes Bihar by storm

Defeating the anti-incumbency factor in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar led his National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to a thumping victory in the State Assembly elections held on Friday, November 14, 2025; The number of seats of the ruling coalition exceeded 200 in the parliament of 243 people. Mr. Kumar’s Mahila Rozgar Yojna, under which around 1.25 crore women were given ₹10,000 in the last two months, appeared to have played a major role in his victory.

As of 9.30pm on Friday evening, NDA’s total vote share stood at 44%, while the Opposition INDIA bloc’s vote share was almost 36%. The difference in terms of number of seats is much wider. The NDA won 192 seats and was leading in 10 other constituencies. Opposition mahagathbandhan The party, which won only 33 seats and is leading with two, is facing a complete collapse.

BJP is the largest party

In fact, the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has the highest vote share among all parties, winning around 23% of the votes, but this probably translates into a tally of just 25 seats as it has won 24 constituencies and is leading in one. The BJP has the second-best vote share of 20% and will have the most legislators in the House, winning 87 seats and leading with two more. NDA ally Janata Dal (United) won 78 seats with 19.26% vote share and is leading in seven more seats. Both BJP and JD(U) contested on 101 seats.

The Congress is poised for its worst performance since 2010, winning just six seats despite polling 8.7%. Although the vote share of the NDA’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) was just under 5%, it won 18 seats and is leading in one seat. The remaining parties got less than 2% votes each, including the Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslims (AIMIM) with a 1.8% vote share, which won five seats.

Apart from the BJP and JD(U), smaller members of the NDA also contributed significantly to the coalition’s tally. LJP(RV), led by Union Minister Chirag Paswan, has reported an excellent strike rate with a probability of winning 19 of the 29 seats it is contesting. More importantly, 17 of these seats were won by the party. mahagathbandhan The 2020 elections reinforced Mr. Paswan’s importance in the ruling alliance. Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) led by Upendra Kushwaha won four seats, while Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) led by Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi won five seats.

‘Full unity of NDA’

Heading towards a landslide victory, Mr Kumar issued a message to X saying: “The people of the state have expressed their confidence in our government by giving us a huge majority.” He added: “The NDA alliance showed complete unity in this election and secured a huge majority. We thank all the partners of the NDA alliance leaders for this great victory. With the support of all of you, Bihar will progress further and be included in the category of the most developed states of the country.”

The NDA victory came amid potential headwinds posed by anti-incumbency, allegations of vote theft leveled by the Congress and new candidates like Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party (JPS), which failed to win a single seat in its first election.

Mr. Kumar’s decision to more than double the State pension for the elderly, disabled and widows from ₹400 to ₹1,100, along with 125 units of electricity given free to every consumer, played a significant role. But in an election where women voters outnumber men, the ₹10,000 paid to nearly 1.25 crore women in the last two months before the election seems crucial.

‘Opposition arrogance’

Mr Paswan attacked the Opposition’s “arrogance”. “While on one side the whole of Bihar is witnessing the united strength of the NDA, on the other side you see the arrogance of the RJD; the mandate was not yet in full force and they were talking about taking oath on November 18. This is what happens when ambition turns into ego,” he said.

The opposition’s face in the Prime Minister’s Office and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav did not make any statement. His mahagathbandhan Its ally Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahni said, “There is no problem now. The winners deserve congratulations. We will review everything in the coming days and get back to the people. The government’s cash plan has worked in favor of the NDA.”

Congress spokesperson Rajesh Rathore said, “We will definitely review the unexpected results of the Bihar Assembly elections. We assure them that we will continue to fight strongly on public issues and raise their voices for their rights, while respecting the mandate of the people of Bihar.”