The Congress party is grappling with internal divisions and strategic confusion following a devastating defeat in the Bihar assembly elections, with senior leaders offering conflicting explanations for the NDA's landslide victory that has reduced the party to just six seats from its previous tally of 19.
Divergent Responses Expose Internal Rifts
Within hours of the election results on November 15, 2025, top Congress leaders presented strikingly different reactions to the electoral setback. AICC communications head Jairam Ramesh immediately alleged that the results showed "vote chori on a gigantic scale" masterminded by the Prime Minister, Home Minister, and Election Commission.
However, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge struck a more conciliatory tone, stating that the party "respects" the mandate given by the people while vowing to continue fighting against forces weakening democracy. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi described the results as "startling" and claimed the elections were "not fair from the very beginning."
Bihar Results Mirror National Trend
The NDA's comprehensive victory in Bihar, cutting across regions, gender, age, and caste categories, represents the fourth major defeat for the Opposition since the 2024 general elections. The Congress collapse in Bihar saw the party reduced to just six seats, while its ally RJD secured only 25 seats - its lowest tally in 15 years.
This pattern of defeat extends beyond Bihar. In Maharashtra, the BJP combine won 230 of the 288 seats with the BJP achieving an almost 90% strike rate. In Haryana, the BJP created history by retaining power for the third consecutive time. Most dramatically, in Delhi, the BJP returned to power after nearly three decades, securing 48 of the 70 seats - a five-fold increase from its previous tally.
Failed Strategies and Hollow Narratives
According to internal party assessments, several Congress campaign strategies failed to resonate with voters. Rahul Gandhi's aggressive "vote theft" campaign and the party's renewed focus on social justice with particular emphasis on OBC and Dalit communities found little traction at the grassroots level.
A senior Congress leader, speaking anonymously, revealed that "the talk in the party was that 65 lakh votes were deleted in the SIR process, but we did not see even 65 people protesting." The leader criticized the over-reliance on the vote chori narrative, noting that similar campaigns like "chowkidar chor hai" in 2019 had also failed to connect with voters.
The party's social justice plank also proved ineffective in Bihar, where the state government under Nitish Kumar had already conducted a caste enumeration - making the Congress demand for caste census redundant.
Opposition Allies Point Fingers
The electoral disaster has triggered recriminations within the broader opposition alliance. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve directly criticized the Congress, stating that the party "seeks a large number of seats during seat-sharing talks with allies, but fails to win most of them."
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav echoed Ramesh's allegations, claiming that the "electoral conspiracy" through the SIR in Bihar has been exposed and opposition parties would remain vigilant in upcoming state elections.
Calls for Serious Introspection
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor described the party's performance as "seriously disappointing" and called for comprehensive analysis of tactical, messaging, and organizational failures. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar termed the results a "lesson" for the Congress and its allies, promising a new strategy for the future.
The crushing defeat has left the opposition alliance facing existential questions about how to craft an effective counter-narrative to the BJP's successful blend of caste coalitions, Hindutva interpretations, and last-minute welfare initiatives that only an incumbent government can deliver.
