Overview
- The NDA surged ahead in more than 200 of 243 seats as the Mahagathbandhan struggled to cross 35, with Congress stuck around 4–5 leads by late afternoon.
- Party figures cited a misread caste strategy that chased EBCs while alienating remaining upper-caste voters, as Nitish Kumar’s women- and EBC-focused welfare consolidated support.
- Credibility took a hit from fielding numerous recent BJP, JD(U) and LJP defectors, with leaders estimating at least 10 such candidates and questioning the party’s anti-BJP positioning.
- Congress’s Special Intensive Revision and “vote theft” narratives drew little traction on the ground, and a pre-poll press conference on alleged Haryana irregularities was read by some as a sign of low confidence.
- Limited coordination with the RJD left the alliance without a unified message, with few joint Rahul Gandhi–Tejashwi Yadav events and divergent emphasis on employment and day-to-day economic concerns.