PATNA: The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Friday secured a historic, landslide victory in Bihar, surging past the 200 mark in the 243-member Assembly.
The 2025 Assembly elections in Bihar witnessed a meticulously crafted campaign built on good governance, stability, and inclusivity. The projection of the “double-engine’’ government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Janata Dal (United) supremo Nitish Kumar resonated strongly with voters. As voter turnout figures showed, women outvoted men and, perhaps, became one of the decisive factors behind the NDA’s unprecedented victory.
The NDA juggernaut left the Mahagathbandhan crumbling like a pack of cards, with even Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav managing to win his home seat of Raghopur in a flip-flop battle by a margin of 14532 votes.
While the NDA surpassed its 2020 tally of 122 seats, the Mahagathbandhan won 35 seats, and Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party failed to open its account. The Congress suffered its worst-ever performance, winning just six seats. The CPI(ML) won two, and the CPM posted victory in one seat.
Alongside record participation by women and youth, the NDA benefited from near-perfect political engineering. The BJP and JD(U) improved their vote shares despite contesting fewer seats, signalling tighter booth-level coordination and resilience against incumbency. The BJP’s vote share rose to 20.08 per cent from 19.46 per cent in 2020, though it fielded candidates in only 101 constituencies compared to 110 earlier. The JD(U) recorded one of the most significant gains, jumping to 19.25 per cent from 15.39 per cent in 2020, while contesting 101 seats compared to 115 previously.
The RJD, which contested the highest number of seats—143—secured 23 per cent of the total votes but saw a slight dip from its 23.11 per cent share in 2020. The Congress’ vote share slipped to 8.71 per cent from 9.48 per cent, while the CPI(ML) Liberation saw its share fall marginally to 2.84 per cent. The Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), part of the NDA, bagged 4.98 per cent of the vote compared to the undivided LJP’s 5.66 per cent in 2020, as it contested far fewer seats. AIMIM, contesting independently, improved its vote share to around 2 per cent from 1.24 per cent in the last election.
Strike-rate figures further highlighted the NDA’s sharp seat targeting. The BJP led the alliance with 89 wins out of 101 seats—a formidable 88.1 per cent strike rate—while the JD(U) followed with 85 wins out of 101 seats, translating into 84.2 per cent. Smaller NDA partners also delivered: the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAMS) won 5 of 6 seats (83.3 per cent), the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) secured 4 of 6 (66.7 per cent), and the LJP (RV) posted a robust 65.5 per cent with 19 wins in 29 contests.
In contrast, the INDIA bloc struggled across the board. The RJD managed only 25 wins out of 143 seats (17.5 per cent), the Congress won 6 of 61 (9.8 per cent), and the CPI(ML)(L) secured 2 of 20 (10 per cent). AIMIM won 5 seats from roughly 25 contests, finishing with a 20 per cent strike rate. Outside the main alliances, the BSP managed a single win out of nearly 90 seats, while the Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) opened its account with one seat.
According to an NDA leader, the women’s mandate is largely credited to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose two-decade governance record has built a loyal, cross-caste female vote bank. In the run-up to the polls, the government transferred Rs 10,000 to over 1.21 crore women (Jivika Didis) to help them start small businesses and promised an additional Rs 2 lakh for successful ventures. The Chief Minister’s 2016 prohibition policy, popular among women affected by alcohol-related domestic violence, further strengthened their support. The Mahagathbandhan’s hints at reviewing or lifting the prohibition, leaders said, pushed women further toward the NDA. Women outdid men by 14 percentage points in voter turnout in seven districts of Bihar, according to the Election Commission. In 10 other districts, the gap was over 10 percentage points. Across the two phases of polling on November 6 and 11, Bihar registered a historic voter turnout of 67.13 per cent, the highest ever in the state. Women’s turnout stood at 71.78 per cent, while turnout among men was 62.98 per cent. Elated women were seen singing, dancing, and playing with ‘gulal’ across the state once the NDA’s victory became clear.
In a state fractured by caste politics, women emerged as a rare constituency that cut across those lines. The Mukhyamantri Rojgar Yojana, , as part of which over one crore women have got Rs 10,000 each in their bank accounts, also played a significant role in helping the NDA counter anti-incumbency by boosting women’s self-employment and providing financial assistance to one woman per family.
Nitish Kumar highlighted in his rallies how his government had empowered women over two decades through reservations in local bodies, job opportunities, and financial support. PM Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the Chief Minister also underscored the NDA’s infrastructural push—mega bridges over the Ganga, four-lane highways connecting Patna to Gaya, and the partial completion of the Patna Metro—messaging that clearly resonated with voters.
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 helped the five-party alliance.
The NDA also appeared to have done well in Muslim-dominated constituencies, signalling a possible change in voting pattern in these segments.
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).