As the winter sun rose over Bihar on December 2, 2025, voters lined up outside polling stations across 122 assembly constituencies, braving the early morning chill to participate in what many observers have called a watershed moment for Indian democracy. By 11 a.m., 31.38% of Bihar’s 37 million eligible voters had already cast their ballots in the second and final phase of the state’s high-stakes assembly elections, according to data cited by the Free Press Journal. The polling, which began at 7 a.m. and was set to continue until 5 p.m., would ultimately determine the fate of 1,302 candidates—including eight ministers from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s cabinet.
For Nitish Kumar, president of the Janata Dal (United) and a political fixture in Bihar for more than a decade, the election was less a personal contest—he’s not on the ballot himself—and more a referendum on his government’s record. The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), anchored its campaign on promises of “good governance” and development. Yet, with anti-incumbency sentiments simmering and the opposition INDIA bloc banking on the region’s high concentration of Muslim voters, the outcome was anything but certain as ballots were cast in districts such as West and East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Supaul, Araria, and Kishanganj—many of which border Nepal and are considered electoral battlegrounds.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose BJP has dominated Indian politics for over a decade, took to social media to urge voters to set a new participation record. "Today marks the second and final phase of voting in the Bihar assembly elections. I urge all voters to participate enthusiastically and set a new voting record. I especially urge my young friends from the state, who are voting for the first time, to not only cast their votes themselves but also inspire others to do so," Modi posted on X (formerly Twitter). Nitish Kumar echoed the sentiment, reminding citizens that voting is "not only our right, but also a responsibility."
The stakes were particularly high for the Congress party, the second-largest member of the INDIA bloc, which sought to defend 12 of the 19 seats it won in the previous 2020 assembly elections. Among its sitting MLAs were state president Rajesh Kumar Ram and Shakeel Ahmed Khan, both hoping to withstand the NDA’s challenge. Meanwhile, in the first phase of voting held on November 6, a record 65.09% of Bihar’s 37.5 million electors had turned out, a figure both sides claimed as evidence of their own momentum.
But the results, when they arrived, were unequivocal. As reported by the Toda Peace Institute and corroborated by Free Press Journal, Modi’s BJP-led coalition swept the Bihar assembly elections, securing a staggering 88% of the seats it contested. This landslide victory, achieved despite a decade of incumbency and mounting opposition hopes, reaffirmed Modi’s dominance over Indian politics and delivered a crushing blow to the INDIA bloc. The outcome was seen as a clear signal that the BJP had not only weathered last year’s minor setbacks—when it lost its absolute majority in Parliament and had to seek outside support—but had also regained momentum by winning back three states in recent local elections.
The Bihar election, however, was not without controversy. Allegations of voter fraud, including a bizarre episode involving a Brazilian model’s photograph appearing for dozens of voters on the rolls, fueled opposition claims that the BJP was manipulating the process. The opposition launched a movement against a voter verification exercise it said was designed to tilt the balance in the BJP’s favor. Yet, as the Toda Peace Institute observed, these same parties ultimately participated in the elections they had so vehemently criticized, exposing what many saw as a lack of coherent strategy and internal unity.
This sense of disarray within India’s opposition is part of a broader global trend. As political scientist Larry Bartels and author Nancy G. Bermeo have argued, the decay of traditional parties and the rise of personalist, populist leaders is eroding democracy worldwide—from Madagascar to Nepal, and from Hungary to the United States. In India, opposition parties have long struggled with personalisation, weak internal democracy, elite capture, and ideological stagnation. The ascent of Modi’s BJP since 2014 has only deepened this crisis, with the opposition often appearing rudderless and reactive.
Against this backdrop, the story of Zohran Mamdani, the Indian-born mayor-elect of New York, has resonated powerfully among Indian observers. Mamdani’s campaign, noted for its principled stance and unapologetic celebration of minority identity, has been hailed as an example of how opposition parties might rejuvenate themselves. As Toda Peace Institute pointed out, Mamdani’s victory—fueled by grassroots mobilization, clear messaging, and a commitment to core values—contrasts sharply with the tactical confusion and ideological drift that have plagued India’s opposition. "Mamdani succeeded because, rather than second-guessing the popular mood and trying to sell a campaign to fit that mood, he focused on what he stands for, stuck to it, and relentlessly messaged it," the article noted.
The lesson, according to analysts, is that a robust politics of principles is not only the best strategy to counter populist authoritarians but also the surest way to re-engage a disillusioned electorate—especially young voters. In Bihar, however, the opposition’s campaign was marked by what critics described as unrealistic promises, such as pledging one government job for each of the state’s 27 million families. These kinds of pledges, lacking credible plans or conviction, failed to move voters who increasingly see the BJP as the party with a vision and the capacity to govern.
The result is a political landscape where the BJP continues to consolidate power, even as concerns mount over the health of Indian democracy. The opposition’s inability to present a viable alternative has left many Indians yearning for a new kind of politics—one that is both principled and pragmatic, and that offers concrete solutions rather than empty slogans or reactive posturing. As the Toda Peace Institute article concluded, "There would be, probably many, Indian Zohrans if India’s political parties were half as earnest about democratising themselves as they are about democratising India. Then, New Delhi might also manage to reclaim democracy, like New York has."
For now, the BJP’s triumph in Bihar stands as both a testament to the party’s organizational strength and a stark reminder of the challenges facing India’s opposition. As the dust settles, the search for a credible, principled alternative continues—a search that, if the lessons of Bihar and New York are any guide, will require not just new faces but a fundamental rethinking of how political parties engage with the Indian people.
