Overview
- Results showed the NDA winning more than 200 of 243 seats, with the Mahagathbandhan struggling to reach 40 and the Congress confined to six.
- Prolonged seat-sharing wrangles and a late declaration of Tejashwi Yadav as CM face left the opposition with a shortened, disjointed campaign and even friendly fights in multiple constituencies.
- Congress insiders cite a misjudged social-justice pivot that alienated upper-caste backers, poor EBC traction, tickets to NDA turncoats, and a 'vote theft' message that failed to resonate.
- Nitish Kumar’s welfare push, including a Rs 10,000 first transfer under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana to over a crore women, reinforced the NDA’s appeal among women and EBC voters, while the 'jungle raj' narrative hurt the RJD.
- Minority votes fractured in Seemanchal as AIMIM gained ground and alliance vote-transfer faltered, even as figures like Shashi Tharoor urged introspection and some opposition leaders alleged Election Commission bias.