Bihar Assembly elections 2025: Women’s vote, governance results and alliance cohesion ensure NDA’s victory

The large mandate for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Bihar Assembly elections, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) surpassing its total of 91 seats in 2010, stems from a combination of factors. Chief among these are the alliance’s unified approach to its governance record, development of women as a reliable base of support through welfare measures, and a high degree of micromanagement by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on issues that could otherwise have derailed the campaign.

Also read: Bihar election results LIVE updates

Female voice

Women in Bihar are a pillar that the NDA under Nitish Kumar has been diligently cultivating since its 2005 victory, through measures ranging from bicycles for schoolgirls to job reservations. The Jeevika Network of Self-Help Groups and the das hazari, a ₹10,000 support for entrepreneurship announced during these polls, have further strengthened this connection.

In record-turnout elections, women outvoted men in more than 100 constituencies, playing a crucial role in the 2025 outcome. With many male exoduses, women often take on both domestic and external responsibilities, and have remained staunch supporters of a government they believe is responsive to their needs.

Ambitious young people

Political newcomer Prashant Kishor is credited with bringing issues related to emigration for employment and opportunity to the fore in one of India’s youngest states. In raising these concerns, he appeared to clarify the choice for voters, many of whom felt the NDA was best positioned to tackle such long-standing challenges given its governance record. This represents both a show of support and a challenge for the new government, which is expected to address these issues sooner rather than later.

Micromanagement and alliance chemistry

Among the lessons learned by the NDA, especially the BJP and Janata Dal (United), are those from the 2020 elections, when the alliance reached the halfway mark after the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) contested independently, hurting the JD(U) by at least 32 seats.

This time, Union Minister Amit Shah took a cautious approach and held coordination meetings between LJP and JD(U) workers, who were traditional rivals on the ground. He also met with nearly a hundred rebel candidates and convinced many to resign in favor of official alliance candidates.

Even before the campaign began, NDA partners at every level, from the mandal to the state, held coordination meetings to ensure smooth vote transfer. All allies, including the BJP, JD(U), LJP, Hindustan Awaam Morcha and the Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha (RLM), won a majority of the seats they contested.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement that the NDA would contest under the leadership of Prime Minister Nitish Kumar also ended speculation on the ministerial issue.