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Bihar result 2025: Why NDA looks set to retain power, Nitish to gain strength | 3 key points
Three early trends could set the pattern of the Bihar results: BJP's strong cadre worked, Nitish Kumar proved pundits wrong, and Congress remained weak link
As early trends in results of the Bihar assembly election 2025 started to stream in, three broad themes appear to be dominant.
One, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that appeared to be heading towards a repeat or even improvement of its 2020 assembly election tally of 74, has managed to consolidate a cadre in a state where mass, freewheeling politics has been the norm so far.
“There is no doubt that BJP has put in place a cadre, something that it had lacked all these years,” said political analyst Prabhat Singh.
The second and perhaps the most important direction is yet another return of Nitish Kumar, who is already the longest serving chief minister of Bihar. His JD(U) looks to improve on his 2020 performance of 43 assembly seats.
His principal vote bank of women, who have turned out in large numbers, and his mobililising of the Extreme Backward Classes (EBC) has proved that his astuteness and chutzpah are more than just intact.
Nitish could easily edge out potential rivals within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) like Chirag Paswan and other smaller caste-based parties, who had proved to be a thorn in his flesh the last time.
Nitish Kumar first became chief minister in 2000 and has led the state through several coalition governments, often switching alliances between the BJP and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
These frequent realignments have labeled him a political “flip-flopper”, yet they highlight his unmatched ability to survive and remain relevant in Bihar's unpredictable political environment.
For the Mahagathbandhan or the Grand alliance, the allotting of 60-plus seats to the Congress, with a claim of “resurgence”, could prove costly. The party may end up winning fewer than the 19 seats it won in 2020.
The fact that the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress contested “friendly” fights for about 11 seats puts serious question marks over Congress’s ability to sew up alliances, and is certain to have long-term consequences.
