Bihar Poll Verdict: Why did Mahagathbandhan collapse so drastically? Click for details

Patna: The 2025 Bihar Assembly election verdict has stunned observers and delivered a severe blow to the Mahagathbandhan. From the moment counting began on 14 November, the alliance’s fortunes started slipping, eventually crashing to just 35 seats out of 243 in the State Assembly. This emphatic verdict against the Mahagathbandhan has, for now, dealt a serious blow to Tejashwi Yadav’s political prospects, with the RJD being the Alliance’s principal force. The Congress and Left parties, too, appear to have lost much of their influence, further deepening the Alliance’s crisis. What are the obvious reasons behind the Mahagathbandhan’s debacle? Let's discuss briefly: Bihar Results: As NDA storm rises, Prashant Kishor’s predictions come crashing down 1. Excessive Reliance on Yadav Candidates The Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) fielded 52 Yadav candidates to solidify the core Yadav vote bank, ultimately porved a miscalculation. This strategy only projected the RJD "casteist" image and drove away crucial non-Yadav votes. 2. Poor Coordination Between Allies On the surface it appeared that there was 'full' coordination between Tejashwi Yadav and Rahul Gandhi, but infact there were lot of frictions from candidates selection, resource sharing, and seat wise planning. There was friendly fight between RJD and Congress on over a dozen seats which proved fatal to both the parties. 3. Big Promises Without A Roadmap The big promises by Tejashwi Yadav during campaign were made without a proper roadmap. Promises such as a government job for every household, pension schemes, and reviewing the liquor ban were made without a concrete execution plan. Infact his promises, especially "job for every household" without a blueprint, created mistrust. Bihar Results 2025: RJD faces setback; Tejashwi’s seat in danger 4. Hard Bargaining By Congress Without any strength on the ground and impact, the Congress was adament a larger seat share than its on-ground strength justified. The Congress by its push got over two dozen seats in the constituencies it had no reasonable base. Moreover this seat sharing fiction also led to “friendly fights,” on over a dozen seats splitting votes and causing defeat. 5. Imapact Of Lalu Legacy The more Tejashwi Yadav tried to navigate the complexities of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s legacy, the more his approach seemed confused and counterproductive. He struggled to address the negative perceptions associated with his father’s tenure, particularly the enduring image of the so-called “Jungle Raj,” which continued to haunt his campaign.