NDA storms back to power in Bihar as BJP-JD(U) rout Mahagathbandhan

• NDA returns to power in Bihar with a three-fourths majority.
• BJP and JD(U) post nearly 85% strike rate in the seats they contested.
• Mahagathbandhan suffers major setbacks; RJD falls from 75 to 25 seats.
• PM Modi calls it a mandate for “Mahila and Youth”; Nitish Kumar hails “landslide”.

The NDA retained power in Bihar on Friday with a sweeping mandate that dismantled the Mahagathbandhan and reaffirmed the political dominance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Nitish Kumar. The alliance crossed the “200 paar” mark for a three-fourths majority in the 243-member Assembly.

The scale of the victory was underscored by the nearly 85 per cent strike rate achieved by the BJP and JD(U) in the 101 seats each contested. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, up from 74 in 2020, while the JD(U) jumped to 85 from 43.

बिहार में कुछ ​दलों ने तुष्टिकरण वाला MY Formula बनाया था।

लेकिन आज की जीत ने एक नया सकारात्मक ‘MY Formula दिया है, और ये है — महिला और यूथ।

– पीएम श्री @narendramodi#NDA_कहे_आभार_बिहार pic.twitter.com/huZl0lpMUC

— BJP Bihar (@BJP4Bihar) November 14, 2025

Addressing party workers in Delhi, Modi said the people of Bihar had “taken the state by storm (garda uda diya)” and placed their “unshakable confidence” in the NDA. He said the verdict reflected a “positive MY – Mahila and Youth” formula, countering the “communal MY formula” he linked to the RJD.

In the coming times, we will do even more for Bihar’s progress, Bihar’s infrastructure and Bihar’s culture. We will ensure that the State’s Yuva Shakti and Nari Shakti get many opportunities to lead a life of prosperity.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 14, 2025

Nitish Kumar, overcoming anti-incumbency concerns, thanked voters for delivering what he called a “landslide” mandate. In a post on X, he expressed gratitude to Modi for the Centre’s support to the NDA government.

The RJD’s tally crashed from 75 to 25 seats, while Congress secured only six of the 61 seats it contested, down from 19. The NDA’s performance was driven by its wider caste coalition, multiple welfare schemes targeting EBC households, strong support from women—many backing the liquor ban—and a large turnout of young voters. The alliance also made gains in several Muslim-dominated constituencies.

Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party, contesting nearly all seats, failed to make an impact despite a high-decibel campaign on unemployment and migration.

Celebrations broke out at BJP and JD(U) offices in Patna as workers played drums, burst firecrackers and chanted slogans. Supporters of the 75-year-old Kumar held posters reading “Tiger Abhi Zinda Hai”, underlining his ninth term as chief minister and his continuing political clout.

Kumar, known as ‘sushasan babu’, had rolled out benefits including higher pensions, stipends for Jeevika, Aasha and Aanganwadi workers, and the ‘Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana’, under which over one crore women received Rs 10,000 each. He again entered the legislature via the council route, as he was not in the electoral fray.

For the BJP, the result further strengthens its position as the country’s principal political force and follows strong showings in Delhi, Maharashtra and Haryana. In Bihar, the party also benefited from consolidated Dalit support through allies Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM and Chirag Paswan’s LJP(RV). The LJP(RV) won 19 of the 28 seats it contested. HAM and Upendra Kushwah’s RLM won five and four seats respectively.

The Mahagathbandhan, despite surveys projecting Tejashwi Yadav as the preferred chief ministerial candidate, suffered a heavy defeat. Yadav held on to Raghopur, defeating the BJP’s Satish Kumar by 14,532 votes, but the alliance struggled to retain its traditional Muslim-Yadav base. Congress, described within INDIA bloc circles as a “weak link”, saw its “vote chori” campaign message fail to resonate.

Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM won five seats out of 32 contested, while the Indian Inclusive Party secured one seat in Saharsa.

The NDA’s decisive victory, delivered amid allegations of irregularities in the electoral roll revision, is likely to influence the political climate ahead of assembly elections in West Bengal and Assam over the next six months.