Rahul Gandhi calls Bihar mandate ‘surprising’, alleges election was unfair from the start

New Delhi: Congress leader and India’s Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday described the Bihar Assembly results as “truly surprising” and claimed that the INDIA bloc could not win an election that “was not fair from the very beginning”.

In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi thanked voters who supported the Mahagathbandhan and said the Opposition will conduct a detailed review of the outcome. “This fight is for the protection of the Constitution and democracy. The Congress and the INDIA bloc will conduct an in-depth review of this result and make more effective efforts to save democracy,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.

Vote chori on a gigantic scale: Kharge
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the party respected the mandate but alleged that the results reflected “vote chori on a gigantic scale”. He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and the Election Commission of undermining democratic processes. “We will continue the struggle to save the Constitution and democracy by staying among the people,” Kharge said in a post.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh repeated the allegation of “vote chori” and said the party would intensify its campaign to protect democratic institutions.

Congress restricted to six seats

The NDA swept the Bihar polls, leading in more than 200 of the 243 seats, with the BJP emerging as the single largest party with an estimated 90 per cent strike rate.

In a performance that party leaders admitted was deeply disappointing, the Congress won only six of the 61 seats it contested. State unit president Rajesh Kumar lost from Kutumba, while legislature party leader Shakeel Ahmed Khan was defeated in Kadwa by JD(U)'s Dulal Chandra Goswami.

The winning Congress candidates were Surendra Prasad (Valmiki Nagar), Abhisekh Ranjan (Chanpatia), Manoj Bishwas (Forbesganj), Abidur Rehman (Araria), Mohd Qamrul Hoda (Kishanganj) and Manohar Prasad Singh (Manihari).

Friday’s outcome marked the Congress’ second-worst performance in the state, with the party’s vote share slipping to 8.75 per cent. It finished barely ahead of AIMIM and HAM, which won five seats each.

The downward trend is consistent with the party’s long-term decline in Bihar, where it once dominated. From 239 seats in 1952, the party’s tally has steadily reduced, touching single digits in 2005. This year’s result, observers say, is among its most severe setbacks.

Rahul Gandhi’s campaign themes, including his “vote chori” allegation, the SIR narrative, the Voter Adhikar Yatra, and appeals to Gen Z voters, failed to gain traction. With 40 per cent of the population below 18 and 23 per cent between 18 and 29 years, the party struggled to carve a message that resonated with younger voters.

The Opposition’s caste census pitch also faded after the NDA government announced inclusion of caste in the next census.