Bihar Assembly Election 2025 – Congress headed for one of its worst performance
Setting the stage
The assembly elections in Bihar (for 243 seats) concluded with polling in two phases on 6 November and 11 November 2025, and the counting of votes and results on 14 November.
The main contest was between the ruling alliance Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) + Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) under the umbrella of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition bloc Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) + Congress + others under the Mahagathbandhan/INDIA‐bloc.
What the results show
The assembly elections in Bihar (for 243 seats) concluded with polling in two phases on 6 November and 11 November 2025, and the counting of votes and results on 14 November.
The main contest was between the ruling alliance Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) + Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) under the umbrella of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition bloc Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) + Congress + others under the Mahagathbandhan/INDIA‐bloc.
Why did Congress perform so poorly?
Several interlinked factors appear to have contributed:
- Alliance dynamics: Within the Mahagathbandhan, the RJD played a dominant role. Congress may have struggled to assert itself or differentiate its identity within that coalition.
- Voter preference for NDA’s incumbency: The NDA alliance appears to have built a strong narrative of “good governance” or continuity which resonated with voters in many constituencies.
- Weak ground mobilisation / lost seats: Congress’s lead in only a handful of seats suggests either organisational weakness at the local level or that it failed to convert its vote share into seats.
- Broader statewide mood: The overall trend shows a swing toward the NDA; the anti‐incumbency mood against the opposition can affect smaller allies more harshly.
Implications
- For Congress: This result may require serious introspection — about its role in alliances, its state leadership, candidate selection, and vote conversion strategy.
- For Bihar’s politics: With NDA poised for a strong majority, the power dynamics shift further in its favour and marginalise the opposition.
- For national politics: Congress being sidelined even in a key state like Bihar could impact its national standing and strategy ahead of future elections.
- For coalition politics: The result underscores how in multiparty alliances, smaller parties can suffer disproportionately when tide turns.
Key take‐aways
- Election results are not just about vote share but also strike rate (i.e., how many seats you win per seat contested) and how the alliance footprint plays out.
- Being part of a broad coalition doesn’t guarantee success unless your party has clear identity, ground strength, and seat‐winning ability.
- Local factors — candidate image, caste/region alignment, party machinery — matter a lot in assembly elections; national narratives help but don’t fully decide outcomes.
- A “bad” result for a large party like Congress in a state may accelerate internal debates, leadership changes, and strategic realignments.
FAQ: Bihar 2025 Election & Congress Performance
Q1. How many seats did Congress win or lead in the 2025 Bihar elections?
A1. Early trends indicate Congress was leading in around 4 seats (out of 60 contested) in the 2025 election.
By contrast, in the previous 2020 election, Congress had secured 19 seats.
Q2. How did the NDA perform in comparison?
A2. The NDA (BJP + JD(U) + allies) appears to have crossed the majority mark comfortably. For example, JD(U) alone was leading in 79 seats and BJP in 89 seats in early counts according to some reports.
Q3. What role did the RJD play in these elections?
A3. The RJD, as the main opposition party in Bihar and as a leader of the Mahagathbandhan alliance, had a very challenging election — reports suggest it may be heading toward its second‐worst performance.
Its weak performance also impacts its coalition partners (including Congress).
Q4. What are major reasons cited for Congress’s weak performance?
A4. Some key reasons:
- Poor seat conversion — having votes but not winning seats.
- Being overshadowed by larger alliance partner (RJD) in the Mahagathbandhan.
- The overall momentum in favour of the NDA alliance.
- Possible organisational weaknesses at the state and local level.
Q5. Could Congress recover from this? What should it do?
A5. Recovery is possible, but it will require:
- Examining its leadership and state strategy.
- Rebuilding grassroots organisation and cadre strength.
- Clarifying its ideological/issue‐based differentiate from allies.
- Thinking carefully about future alliances (which seats to contest, how to campaign).
- Learning from this outcome to prepare for upcoming elections (state and national).
Q6. Does this mean Congress has no future in Bihar?
A6. Not necessarily. A single bad election does not erase a party’s base permanently. But it will certainly make its task harder: rebuilding while others strengthen. The conditions of caste alignments, regional issues, leadership credibility, and alliance mathematics will all matter.
If you like, I can pull together detailed seat‐by‐seat data, vote share changes, and a deeper analysis of each alliance party (Congress, RJD, BJP, JD(U)). Would you like that?
