The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance appeared headed for a landslide victory in the 2025 Bihar assembly elections, establishing commanding leads in more than 180 of the state's 243 constituencies according to early counting trends on November 14.
Opposition Clings to Hope Amid NDA Surge
Despite the overwhelming trends favoring the ruling coalition, opposition leaders refused to concede defeat. Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha characterized the NDA's celebrations as premature, insisting that the initial trends remained fluid. "Such trends change," Jha asserted, pointing to what he described as the preliminary nature of the counting process.
The RJD parliamentarian elaborated that in 65-70 constituencies, the victory margin stood at less than 3,000-5,000 votes, which he termed as "low-hanging fruit" that could potentially swing in their favor as counting progressed. Jha also criticized the pace of vote counting and suggested the early trends represented a "psychological game" rather than a definitive outcome.
Allies Point Fingers and Analyze Setbacks
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav launched a vehement attack on the BJP, blaming the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) for the Mahagathbandhan's disappointing performance. In a social media post, Yadav accused the BJP of deception rather than genuine political competition. "BJP is not a party, it is deceit," he declared, vowing increased vigilance against what he termed electoral conspiracies in future state elections.
Congress leadership displayed a more measured response while acknowledging the challenging situation. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar stated the party would respect the people's mandate and use the experience to devise new strategies. Congress MP Akhiilesh Prasad Singh conceded the NDA's likely victory and pointed to internal alliance dynamics, specifically mentioning "friendly fights" between coalition partners as a contributing factor to their underwhelming performance.
Broader Concerns About Electoral Integrity
Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot expressed grave concerns about the state of Indian democracy, drawing parallels with recent political developments in Maharashtra. Gehlot alleged unprecedented use of financial resources to influence voters and questioned the Election Commission's impartiality. "During the elections, ₹10,000 were deposited into the accounts of 1 crore 35 lakh women. What has happened to the Election Commission?" he demanded to know.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor adopted a more cautious stance, acknowledging the NDA's substantial lead but emphasizing the need to await final results from the Election Commission. Tharoor noted that while the Congress would conduct detailed analysis, the party bore limited responsibility as the junior partner in the opposition alliance.
Meanwhile, celebrations erupted at NDA offices across Bihar as the coalition appeared poised to secure its most impressive electoral performance in the state's history, potentially reshaping Bihar's political landscape for the foreseeable future.
