NDA Rides Wave of Support to Decisive Bihar Victory
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United), is cruising towards a landslide victory in the Bihar assembly elections, decisively defeating the opposition Mahagathbandhan. The coalition, comprising the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress, saw its promise of ousting Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's government fall flat as the results poured in.
Social Media Erupts with Memes and Analysis
The poor performance of the RJD-Congress alliance quickly became the centerpiece of jokes and memes across social media platforms. One user quipped about the celebratory mood of BJP-NDA supporters watching the results, while another shared a clip of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with a caption highlighting the perils of arrogance in politics. A sarcastic video, captioned "Congress-RJD watching Bihar Election Result," depicted workers hiding their faces, symbolizing the alliance's shock.
Amid the mockery, some users paid tribute to political strategist Prashant Kishor, noting that despite the result, he deserved respect for bringing real issues to the forefront of the election campaign with his Jan Suraj Party.
Key Takeaways from a Historic Poll
This election saw Bihar's highest-ever voter turnout since the first polls in 1951. The ruling NDA successfully sought re-election by banking on the two-decade-long administrative experience of Nitish Kumar and the popularity of the PM Modi-led central government. The Mahagathbandhan's campaign, which focused on anti-incumbency, misgovernance, and job promises, failed to resonate with the electorate.
The results for the 243-member Bihar assembly, with a majority mark of 122, proved the exit poll predictions largely accurate. While RJD's Tejashwi Yadav was the preferred chief ministerial candidate in some exit polls, his selection now seems unlikely.
The election, held in two phases on November 6 and November 11, also saw some surprising performances. Chirag Paswan’s LJP(RV) defied expectations, leading in several seats and emerging as a potential influencer in the coalition. In contrast, Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraj Party struggled to convert its campaign buzz into votes. The polls also saw new leaders emerge, such as singer-turned-politician Maithili Thakur, who was leading from the Alinagar seat on a BJP ticket.
