Touring Bihar on the eve of its 2025 elections felt, for many observers, like stepping into a time capsule. While gleaming new roads and flyovers marked visible progress, the deeper, less tangible signs of transformation—urbanization, rural upliftment, and women’s empowerment—seemed to lag behind. As political editor Anand Mishra, a native of Bihar, put it, "it seemed as if his people were still waiting for Godot," a sentiment that echoed the enduring patience and frustration of many Biharis. Despite these undercurrents, Nitish Kumar, the state’s perennial leader, and his BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) swept to a resounding victory, extending his two-decade tenure at the helm.
Yet, beneath the surface of this electoral landslide, a complex web of allegations, institutional decisions, and political maneuvering has prompted both celebration and soul-searching across the political spectrum. According to reporting by ETV Bharat and The Hindu, the opposition—most notably the Congress party—has been left reeling, with its leaders convening for what is expected to be a stormy post-mortem of their defeat.
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has called for a comprehensive review of the Congress party’s performance in Bihar. The meeting, scheduled for November 27, 2025, will bring together a wide cast of party figures: AICC functionaries, state leaders, three Members of Parliament, and all 61 candidates who contested the election under the Congress banner. According to Congress insiders, divergent views are expected to surface, with some blaming the party’s alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for treating Congress as a "junior ally in a rough manner," while others are likely to demand accountability from AICC in-charge Krishna Allavaru and state unit head Rajesh Kumar.
The numbers paint a stark picture. The Congress, contesting as part of the INDIA bloc—a coalition that included the RJD, VIP, and Left parties—managed to win only six of the 61 seats it fought for. The broader INDIA bloc fared little better, securing just 35 seats in the 243-member assembly. In sharp contrast, the NDA swept up 202 seats, cementing its dominance. The scale of the defeat has left Congress leaders in shock, with many calling for an urgent revamp of the state and national teams.
Mohammed Jawed, Congress Lok Sabha MP from Kishanganj, told ETV Bharat, "The result was unexpected. The main challenge for us are the EC and the BJP. We are getting information which shows a surprising pattern of votes in favour of the BJP candidates and against the alliance nominees." This charge resonates with a broader chorus of concerns about the integrity of the electoral process in Bihar this year.
Allegations of large-scale voter duplications and discrepancies between votes polled and votes counted have been raised by both activists and prominent opposition figures, including Rahul Gandhi. According to The Hindu, these concerns were met with a firm rebuff by the Election Commission of India (ECI), which refused to share video footage or machine-readable data and dismissed the complaints as "an insult to the Constitution." The ECI’s stance has only deepened suspicions among opposition leaders and activists, fueling demands for greater transparency and accountability.
The timing and operation of welfare schemes during the campaign have added another layer to the controversy. Just ten days before the election dates were announced, a scheme was launched that transferred Rs.10,000 directly to women’s accounts. Despite the campaign being underway, the ECI ruled that "ongoing" schemes need not be halted. This decision stood in stark contrast to the Commission’s 2023 move in Telangana, where it suspended the Rythu Bandhu Scheme during elections, citing violations of the Model Code of Conduct. Critics argue that such inconsistencies undermine the credibility of the electoral process and potentially tilt the playing field in favor of the ruling alliance.
Money, too, loomed large over the Bihar contest. Data from the Association of Democratic Reforms, cited by The Hindu, revealed that the BJP accounted for nearly 75% of the total income of six major national parties—an eye-watering Rs.4,350 crore, more than three times the combined income of its rivals. This financial muscle, opposition leaders argue, enabled the NDA to field armies of booth-level workers, saturate the airwaves with advertising, and out-campaign their opponents at every turn.
Meanwhile, the Congress party is grappling with internal divisions and strategic dilemmas. Some leaders, frustrated by the alliance dynamics, advocate for the party to "go it alone" in future elections, while others want to focus on revamping the state and district-level organization. As former legislative party leader Shakeel Ahmed Khan explained to ETV Bharat, "The review meeting should be a stormy one. It was a crucial election for us. It is important to look into the reasons behind the poll loss but it is far more important to start working on the future plan. The Congress should focus on strengthening itself in the state and prepare a roadmap for the same. We should not be too dependent on an ally although we may have friendly relations with them. Polarization benefitted the NDA and a campaign should be started against such identity politics."
Other prominent figures expected at the review include independent MP Pappu Yadav, AICC functionary Kanhaiya Kumar, and Rajya Sabha MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh. The session is likely to see heated debates over campaign strategy, ticket distribution, and the lack of coordination within the opposition alliance. There are also calls for introspection, with Congress MP Tariq Anwar suggesting the party must "introspect over the poll outcome and revamp the state and AICC team." The lack of robust state and district panels, many argue, hampered the party’s ability to mobilize effectively.
Beyond the immediate political fallout, the Bihar election has reignited concerns about the broader health of India’s democratic institutions. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) case—relating to the accuracy of electoral rolls—remains pending before the Supreme Court. Despite unresolved constitutional questions, the SIR was allowed to resume in Bihar and has since been extended to other states. Critics see this as emblematic of deeper institutional malaise, with the judiciary’s inaction on key electoral issues eroding public confidence.
For the NDA, the victory is undeniable. Even critics acknowledge the alliance’s organizational discipline and campaign prowess. But as The Hindu observed, "inside this charmed, four-walled garden, the ruling party is indeed performing well. There is no doubting its competence, diligence, or focus. But it is a charmed space." The question that now confronts Bihar—and indeed, India as a whole—is whether electoral triumphs can continue to paper over the cracks in the democratic edifice, or whether a reckoning over transparency, fairness, and institutional integrity is on the horizon.
As Bihar’s political class gathers to dissect defeat and celebrate victory, the state’s voters are left to wonder whether the next election will bring not just new roads, but real change.
