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Patna: The Bihar Assembly elections have delivered a thumping mandate for the National Democratic Alliance, echoing the scale of its 2010 triumph but unfolding in a sharply altered political environment. The ruling coalition secured 202 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan was left with only 35, a result that stunned its leadership and triggered an immediate review of vote patterns across the State.
A major feature of this election was the debut of the Jan Suraaj Party, launched by strategist turned politician Prashant Kishor. Although it failed to win any seats, the party secured 3.4 per cent of the State’s vote share, positioning itself as a potential disruptor. Jan Suraaj contested 238 seats, finishing second in one, third in 129 and fourth or fifth in nearly 100 others. Its presence proved consequential in 33 constituencies where its votes exceeded the margin of victory and influenced outcomes for both alliances almost evenly.
During the campaign, the party claimed it would pull support from across the political spectrum and the results suggest this played out on the ground. Its appeal to young voters and those seeking development focused politics cut into both the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan, often tightening contests that might otherwise have been straightforward.
Other smaller parties also played a decisive role. The Bahujan Samaj Party contested 181 seats and won one, while finishing runner up in another. The BSP had a clear impact on the Opposition in 20 seats where its vote share exceeded the victory margin. In 18 of these seats the NDA emerged victorious, reinforcing the long held view within the INDIA bloc that the BSP’s presence tends to hurt non NDA contenders more.
Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM retained its relevance in Bihar, matching its 2020 tally with five seats and finishing second in one more. It influenced results in nine constituencies where its votes surpassed the winning margin. In two thirds of these seats the NDA benefited.
Combined, these smaller parties shaped outcomes in 63 constituencies, which is roughly a quarter of the Assembly, by polling more votes than the margin of victory. The NDA captured 44 of these seats, indicating that the multi cornered contest overwhelmingly favoured the ruling alliance. Meanwhile, the Mahagathbandhan’s traditional reliance on a consolidated anti NDA bloc faltered as Opposition votes fragmented. The BSP drew Dalit support, AIMIM consolidated Muslim voters and Jan Suraaj appealed to both youth and development oriented groups.
This splintering proved costly for the Mahagathbandhan’s principal parties. The RJD, despite securing 23.4 per cent of the vote, won only 25 seats, far fewer than the BJP and JDU, which with slightly lower vote percentages each secured more than triple that tally. The results highlight how effectively the NDA consolidated its base while Opposition votes were dispersed across multiple challengers.
As the political landscape settles after this decisive verdict, the emergence of new players and the assertive performance of smaller parties suggest that Bihar’s electoral battlefield may be entering a new era, one where the balance of power hinges not just on the big alliances but on the growing influence of diverse regional actors.
