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Bihar election results: How friendly fights, rebellions hurt INDIA bloc
The Bihar polls were a test of the cohesion of the INDIA bloc, which was formed in 2023 to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s dominance
The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) was decimated in the Bihar assembly elections, largely due to “friendly fights” and rebellions that fragmented votes and paved the way for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)’s landslide victory. By 5pm, the Opposition bloc was leading in just 33 out of 243 seats, while the NDA was ahead in 204.
The Bihar polls were a test of the cohesion of the INDIA bloc, which was formed in 2023 to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s dominance. The bloc’s seat-sharing negotiations faltered, leading to “friendly fights” and rebellions from disgruntled leaders denied tickets.
Political analysts said internal rifts, often driven by local ambitions and ego clashes, allowed the ruling coalition to consolidate its position.
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In Kahalgaon, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)’s Rajnish Bharti polled 37,047 votes by the 13th round of counting. She was trailing Janata Dal (United) or JD(U)’s Subhanand Mukesh (61,126). Pravin Kushwaha of the Congress, an INDIA ally, managed only 4,722 votes, splitting the opposition votes and ensuring Mukesh’s lead.
The scenario was the same in seats such as Sultanganj, where Congress nominee Lalan Kumar got 1,868 votes and RJD’s Chandan Kumar Sinha’s 52,244. JD(U)’s Lalit Narayan Mandal led with 71,314 votes, benefitting from the fractured opposition. Experts pointed out that the combined INDIA votes in such seats could have surpassed the NDA’s.
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In Raja Pakar, the Congress’s Pratima Kumari trailed with 29,401 votes against JD(U)’s Mahendra Ram (57,113). Communist Party of India’s Mohit Paswan got 10,767 votes, helping the JD(U) candidate.
Political commentator Rama Shakar Arya said the friendly fights reflected deeper mistrust within the Opposition, turning potential strongholds into lost causes. A RJD strategist lamented, “Friendly fights turned into fatal blows.”
