Bihar 2025 election result: Who won, who lost, why it matters

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is heading for a expanse successful the legislative assembly elections successful the eastbound authorities of Bihar.

The predetermination successful India’s third-most populous state, with 74 cardinal registered voters crossed 243 assembly constituencies, has been viewed arsenic a cardinal trial of Modi’s popularity, particularly among Gen Z: Bihar is India’s youngest state.

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Vote counting concluded connected Friday aft 2 phases of voting connected November 6 and November 11.

Here is much astir the predetermination results and what they mean.

What was the effect of the Bihar election?

As of 5:30pm (1200 GMT) connected Friday, the NDA had won 2 seats and was starring successful 204 retired of 243, portion the absorption Mahagathabandhan, oregon the Grand Alliance, with the Indian National Congress and the determination Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) arsenic the main parties, was starring successful conscionable 33 seats, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which is presently not portion of either alliance, was starring successful 1 seat. The All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), different enactment that does not beryllium successful either large alliance, had won oregon was starring successful the remaining 5 seats.

BJP and allies

• Within the NDA, the BJP had won oregon was starring successful 93 seats with a 20.5 percent wide ballot share. 
• The determination Janata Dal (United) oregon JD(U), a cardinal NDA constituent, had won oregon was leading  successful 83 seats, with 19 percent votes overall.
• Another section NDA ally, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) oregon LJPRV, had won oregon was up successful 19 seats.
• The Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RSHTLKM) was starring successful 4 seats.
• The Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), oregon HAMS, had won oregon was starring successful 5 seats.

Opposition alliance

• The Congress, India’s main absorption party, had won oregon was starring successful 5 seats with 8.7 percent of the wide vote.
• The Grand Alliance’s biggest party, RJD, had oregon was starring successful 26 seats with 22.8 percent of the vote.
• The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation), oregon CPI(ML)(L), was starring successful 1 seat.
• The Communist Party of India (Marxist), oregon CPI(M), was up successful 1 seat.

How are Tejashwi Yadav and Maithili Thakur doing?

As votes were being counted, 2 of the astir watched constituencies were Raghopur and Alinagar.

Raghopur has agelong been an RJD stronghold. But for immoderate clip during counting, Tejashwi Yadav, the lad of RJD person Lalu Prasad Yadav and the party’s de facto main now, was trailing down BJP campaigner Satish Kumar successful the Yadav household bastion. This had switched to a 13,000 ballot pb for Yadav by 1200 GMT, with astir votes counted. If Yadav were to inactive lose, it volition beryllium a historical decision for what was, galore years, the archetypal household of Bihar. He antecedently won the spot successful 2015 and 2020. His begetter has besides won from Raghopur doubly successful the past, portion his mother, Rabri Devi, has won it 3 times.

Popular people singer, Maithili Thakur, representing the BJP, was starring successful the Alinagar seat, with the RJD’s Binod Mishra trailing by 8,588 votes — different adjacent contest.

What is driving the results?

Female voters

Political analysts property the gains for the cardinal governing enactment successful this predetermination to the appeals Modi’s enactment has made to pistillate voters.

In September, the BJP transferred astir $880m to 7.5 cardinal women – with 10,000 rupees ($112.70) paid straight into their slope accounts – nether a effect concern programme called the Chief Minister’s Women Employment Scheme. Modi’s bureau said: “The assistance tin beryllium utilised successful areas of the prime of the beneficiary, including agriculture, carnal husbandry, handicrafts, tailoring, weaving, and different small-scale enterprises.”

Women marque up astir fractional of each eligible voters successful Bihar, wherever women’s governmental information is connected the rise. Female practice successful the authorities has historically been low. But successful 2006, Bihar reserved 50 percent of seats connected section bodies for women, which has boosted their governmental representation.

Female elector turnout successful the authorities has often surpassed that of men since 2010. The turnout among women this clip was 71.6 percent, compared with 62.8 percent for men.

Voter ID checks

The absorption has besides accused the ECI of deliberately revising the authoritative elector database to payment the BJP via a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls implicit the past fewer months. Registered voters were required to contiguous documents proving they were Indian nationals and ineligible residents of the constituency successful which they voted.

As Al Jazeera reported successful July, however, galore of the poorest radical successful Bihar bash not clasp immoderate of the respective documents that the ECI listed arsenic impervious of identity.

The absorption argues, therefore, that this caller request could disenfranchise mediocre and susceptible groups, including disadvantaged castes and Muslims, who typically ballot for the RJD-Congress alliance.

In September, the ECI removed 4.7 million names from Bihar’s rolls, leaving 74.2 million voters. In Seemanchal, a Muslim-majority area, elector removals exceeded the authorities average.

What is the value of these results?

Bihar is India’s 3rd astir populous state, location to 130 cardinal people. It sends the fifth-highest fig of legislators to parliament.

The latest ballot has been viewed arsenic a cardinal popularity trial for Modi, who was sworn successful for his 3rd premiership aft helium won the nationalist elections successful June 2024.

But the BJP failed to unafraid a bulk successful the nationalist predetermination connected its own, forcing it to trust connected determination allies specified arsenic the JD(U) to signifier the government.

Since the nationalist election, the BJP has won astir large authorities elections, and the streak seems to beryllium continuing successful Bihar.