Bihar Results 2025: What Nitish Kumar’s landslide victory really means; Five key factors

Patna: The mandate for the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections has once again gone in favor of Nitish Kumar. Amid record voter turnout and political changes across the state, the public has clearly indicated their intention to give Nitish, who has been in power for a long time, another chance. Despite questions about the Grand Alliance and debates surrounding his health and leadership, Nitish managed to maintain his stronghold. "Tejashwi's pledge" failed to materialize, and Prashant Kishore's Jansuraj Party also failed to make an impact. Five key reasons for Nitish's landslide victory: Continued Trust in Nitish Kumar leadership The focus of this election was: Is Nitish Kumar still the voters' first choice, or will the anti-incumbency factor play out? Nitish Kumar has been the central figure in Bihar politics since 2000. Despite various coalition changes, he has remained the center of power. He has been sworn in as Chief Minister nine times so far, and the mandate clearly indicates that he is moving towards a tenth term. The Grand Alliance initially pressured the BJP not to declare Nitish as its CM face. In response, the BJP leadership clearly stated that after victory, the legislative party would elect Nitish as its leader. This statement reached the public as a reaffirmation of Nitish's leadership and strengthened the sentiment in his favor. Bihar Election Result: Why these votes won’t be counted; What are tender votes? Record Voter Turnout and Its Clear Message This time, elections in Bihar were held in two phases: First Phase: 121 seats, 65.08% voter turnout Second Phase: 122 seats, 69.20% voter turnout Overall, 67.13% voter turnout, the highest ever in Bihar's history. High voter turnout is often seen as a sign of either an anti-incumbency wave or a strong bias towards the ruling party. The results indicate that this increased voter turnout favored the NDA. JDU's vote share increased from 15.39% to over 18%, and the party gained more than 30 seats compared to the previous year, allowing it to overtake the RJD. Impact of Women's Schemes Women have always played a crucial role in Nitish Kumar's victory. From the bicycle scheme to direct transfer of funds to beneficiaries' accounts—these initiatives strengthened women's confidence. The impact of transferring ₹10,000 to the accounts of 1.5 crore women just before the elections was clearly visible in the voting. Women outnumbered men in both phases: 7.48% more in the first phase 10.15% more in the second phase Women's turnout in Kishanganj reached 88.57%. In 37 out of 38 districts, women outnumbered men. This trend clearly demonstrates that strong women's support helped Nitish Kumar secure a decisive lead. Fragmented Opposition and Delayed Seat Distribution Seat distribution within the Grand Alliance remained unclear until the deadline. In many places, candidates from two parties faced off. In contrast, the NDA had already finalized the 101-seat formula well in advance, eliminating any confusion or internal disagreements. Although the Grand Alliance announced Tejashwi Yadav as the CM face and VIP's Mukesh Sahni as the Deputy CM at a press conference, the NDA immediately questioned why the alliance did not choose a Muslim or Dalit candidate for the key position. This political attack proved costly for the Grand Alliance. Bihar Verdict 2025: Nitish magic endures as NDA surpasses all exit polls; Set for a resounding majority Prime Minister Modi-Nitish's Double Engine Image Throughout the campaign, the NDA touted a double-engine government as the path to Bihar's development. The combined image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar gave the alliance a significant advantage. The LJP (Ram Vilas) also strengthened the alliance due to the Modi-Chirag alliance's coordination. In contrast, the RJD appeared to be struggling to shake off the image of "jungle raj." The absence of Lalu and Rabri's images throughout the campaign suggests the party was aware of this challenge. The mandate in Bihar is clear, voters have once again identified Nitish Kumar as the best choice amid stable leadership, women-centric schemes, a double-engine government, and a fragmented opposition.