Bihar Result Splits Opposition: Some Demand Introspection While Some Blame EC, EVM
The 2025 Bihar Assembly election delivered a dramatic blow to India’s Opposition alliance INDIA, fracturing responses between demands for deep self-examination and accusations against the Election Commission and electronic voting machines. While the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) surged comfortably past the 200-seat mark, the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan and its constituents were left reeling, struggling to offer a united explanation for one of their worst electoral performances in recent memory. The Opposition has been limited to less than 30 seats in Bihar, one of the important states in the country that is politically crucial for the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Congress, contesting 61 seats, appeared all but vanquished, leading in just two as of the latest updates — a jarring collapse for a party that had once dominated Bihar’s politics. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), helmed by Tejashwi Yadav, also found itself on the defensive, with leads stuck at less than 30 seats. Even Tejashwi, contesting from his family bastion Raghopur, was trailing for much of the day, transforming the state’s electoral picture into a symbol of shifting allegiances and voter sentiment.
The NDA’s dominance was unequivocal: BJP led with 96, JD(U) close behind at 84, LJP (Ram Vilas) holding 19 leads, and smaller allies such as HAM(S) and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha tallying five and four each respectively. RJD managed just 24, Congress 2, and the Left with one. AIMIM is currently leading in 6 seats and BSP gained minor footholds but failed to alter the main contest. The defeat’s magnitude left senior strategists stunned, particularly as previously confident ground reports failed to match the vote count.
Within hours, prominent opposition leaders began voicing suspicions and discontent. RJD MP Manoj Jha lamented the slow pace of counting and accused the Election Commission (EC) of delaying its website updates, suggesting that BJP’s “premature celebrations” would soon be proven misguided. He maintained that numerous seats remained in play and cautioned supporters not to lose hope.
Meanwhile, senior Congress voices struck a more severe tone. Bhupesh Baghel, the party’s national leader, took direct aim at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, asserting that Kumar played a “crucial role” in the outcome and all but holding the EC responsible for the NDA’s impending majority. Baghel offered sarcastic congratulations, expressing that the poll process had effectively favoured the ruling bloc.
Allegations went further still. Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh claimed, “Six-point-two million votes were cut, two million added, out of which five lakh were cast without proper procedure. Most of the cuts were from poor, Dalit, and minority voters.” Singh also continued to cast suspicions on the integrity of electronic voting machines, renewing long-standing concerns that have failed to find firm footing with electoral observers but resonate with a certain segment of the opposition’s base.
Not all opposition responses circled around blame. CPI general secretary D Raja called for serious introspection among INDIA bloc parties, highlighting the disconnect between massive public rallies and the actual results. “Parties must do self-analysis. The campaign felt different, but the reality is otherwise,” he noted.
Echoing this, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar told reporters that the party would “accept the people’s mandate” and use the lessons of this defeat to “devise a new strategy for the future.” Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh also promised introspection, cautioning that “friendly fights” with alliance partners — where allies contested against one another — harmed their prospects and needed urgent attention going forward.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said: “It’s a question of leading at the moment. They are leading by a rather large margin. But let’s wait for the Election Commission to discuss and disclose the results. I am sure that the party has a responsibility to study in detail the causes. But remember, we were not the senior partner in the alliance and that RJD also has to look carefully at its own performance. But I will say that on a matter like this, it’s very important that we look at the totality of our performance. Elections are about a number of factors…”
He also says, “The women voters were certainly given some incentives just before the Code of Conduct. Whether we like it or not, unfortunately, that is legal under our laws…I am afraid this is not the first time that we have seen State Govts doing such things, of giving benefits to certain segments of society…I don’t think it’s a healthy practice but we saw something quite similar in Maharashtra as well as other seats in the past…Anyway, let’s analyse the results in detail…”
Others, like Congress’s Rashid Alvi and Ashok Gehlot, doubled down on criticism of the EC and allegations of “vote theft,” but also acknowledged the necessity of learning from defeat. Gehlot suggested that the NDA’s edge had been sharpened by distributing money before polls and that the EC was “silent” on such practices.
Throughout the day, opposition leaders oscillated between disbelief, outrage, and resignation. The consensus among most, though, was clear: the NDA’s welfare programmes, especially those targeting women and marginalised communities, alongside an efficient ground-level campaign, had succeeded in undercutting Mahagathbandhan’s attempts to forge a winning coalition.
