Bihar Election Results 2025: 6 factors that tilted the scales in NDA’s favour

The NDA’s emphatic victory in Bihar was shaped by a mix of strategic welfare announcements, narrative control, and the coalition’s ability to anticipate and counter every major move of the opposition. While Tejashwi Yadav entered the fray as the most preferred chief ministerial face in several surveys, the INDIA bloc’s momentum steadily weakened as the ruling front dismantled the Opposition’s promises, reinforced its own social coalitions, and tapped into women voters who ultimately proved decisive. Here’s a look at the key factors that tilted the Bihar contest in the NDA’s favour.

NDA’s rapid counter to INDIA bloc promises
The Nitish Kumar government neutralised the opposition’s big-ticket assurances with speed and precision. When Tejashwi Yadav pledged 200 units of free power, the government responded with 125 units free every month. For low-consuming households, this brought electricity bills close to zero. It also helped diffuse anger over prepaid meters which were being blamed for inflated bills and could have become a major issue during elections.

Similarly, the opposition’s proposal of 100 per cent domicile was matched with a legally safer version that applied only to women. It announced 100 per cent domicile "only for women who already enjoyed 35 per cent reservations in all government departments.” These quick countermeasures ensured the INDIA bloc was unable to take ownership of major welfare narratives.

Women-centric welfare measures delivered a decisive edge
The NDA bolstered its already strong support among women through targeted interventions. Increases in stipends for Aasha, Aanganwadi and Jeevika workers, along with enhanced pensions for elderly women and vulnerable groups, refreshed the government’s welfare credentials. More significantly, the ‘Mukhymantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana’, which credited ₹10,000 to the accounts of over one crore women, effectively blunted Tejashwi’s ‘Mai Bahin Samman Yojana’. By poll season, the INDIA bloc found itself unable to match the political impact of the NDA’s direct outreach to women.

Opposition missteps and lack of fresh ideas
As elections neared, the INDIA bloc appeared to run out of steam. Tejashwi Yadav’s late-stage pitch promising a government job for one member of every family drew scepticism, even among RJD loyalists, for being unrealistic. Attempts to woo Extremely Backward Classes—such as proposing a new law against atrocities—were never fully developed, preventing any real erosion of the NDA’s most reliable caste support.

‘Jungle raj’ narrative gained renewed traction
Once the BJP’s national leadership, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, took charge of the campaign, the narrative shifted sharply to law and order. Posters depicting Tejashwi Yadav as “jungle raj in new clothes” and an indiscreet poll campaign, which had young boys singing paeans, on the stage, to the virtues of "katta" and "rangdaari", made viral through social media proliferation, only made matters easier for the NDA. Modi’s repeated appeals, especially to women, urging them to prevent a return to jungle raj resonated strongly.

Liquor policy discomfort alienated women voters
Prohibition of liquor remains one of Nitish Kumar’s strongest political pillars among women. Tejashwi Yadav’s position on allowing toddy created unease, even though he stopped short of calling for the removal of the liquor ban. Meanwhile, Prashant Kishor’s explicit demand to scrap prohibition reinforced fears that a change in government would dilute the policy. Women’s noticeably low turnout at Yadav’s rallies was a clear indication that this critical bloc was leaning firmly toward the NDA.

‘Voter chori’, ‘SIR’ fail to resonate with voters
The INDIA bloc’s signature themes – Rahul Gandhi’s “vote chori” (vote theft) allegations and the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) controversy – largely flopped in Bihar. Despite high-profile rallies and press conferences, these national issues failed to resonate with the voters on the ground. Rahul Gandhi’s much-hyped “hydrogen bomb” pressers promised proof of mass electoral fraud, but never produced legal evidence, causing voters to shrug it off. Voters instead focused on immediate, local concerns – roads, schools, jobs and stability – rather than abstract talk of rigged rolls. As for SIR, voters did not feel purged or suppressed across Bihar. Turnout was record-high, and even SIR-affected areas returned to the NDA.