Mahayuti hails NDA’s win in Bihar as historic while Opposition alleges foul play

After the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) landslide victory in Bihar, politicians in Maharashtra reacted sharply, with BJP leaders hailing the mandate as historic and Opposition parties alleging irregularities and a “national agenda” behind the outcome.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who campaigned extensively in Bihar, described the outcome as a “historic mandate” and a repudiation of the Congress’s campaign. “We were confident the NDA would cross 160 seats, but the results exceeded expectations. This reflects people’s faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, Nitish Kumar, and the NDA,” he said in Delhi.

Mr. Fadnavis asserted that the election witnessed a rare “pro-incumbency wave” and criticised the Opposition’s allegations of “vote theft” as an attempt to undermine constitutional institutions.

“Congress has faced a crushing defeat. Sensible parties learn from setbacks, but their leadership continues to repeat mistakes. The narrative that worked marginally in the Lok Sabha polls has now collapsed. The situation is so dire that AIMIM and even the combined Left parties have secured more seats than Congress,” Mr. Fadnavis added.

Deputy CM Eknath Shinde called the verdict an “emphatic vote of confidence” in Modi’s leadership and Nitish Kumar’s governance. “Bihar’s mandate is a clear vote of confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and Nitish Kumar’s governance. The people have rejected corruption, chaos and jungle raj, and chosen stability, development and dignity. Congress and its allies, relying on caste arithmetic and divisive narratives, have been wiped out, slipping to single digits while AIMIM and Left parties fared better.”

He further added that the verdict reflects overwhelming support from women, youth, farmers and workers for clean governance and progress. “The Opposition’s attempt to undermine the Election Commission and push the SIR issue was rejected outright. Bihar has spoken decisively, democracy over disruption, accountability over opportunism.”

Deputy CM Ajit Pawar echoed the sentiment, describing the outcome as a vote for “good governance and a progressive future.” He tweeted, “Bihar has voted for good governance and a progressive future, by choosing the NDA to lead the state and its people.”

BJP MP Ravi Kishan lauded the electorate for what he termed an “amazing result,” crediting women and first-time voters for the NDA’s strong performance. “People voted in historic numbers. Women and first-time voters have done bumper voting. This is not a normal victory, people of Bihar have voted for their future,” Mr. Kishan said in Mumbai, adding that the mandate was a vote for “respect, cultural values, and an end to jungle raj.”

Opposition alleges vote theft

NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule acknowledged the scale of the NDA’s win, calling it a surprise even for the victors. “Nobody expected such a massive one-sided mandate, not even those who have won. This victory belongs to Nitish Kumar,” she said, attributing the result to schemes implemented by the Bihar CM and his personal connection with voters. Ms. Sule, however, maintained that local body polls in Maharashtra would hinge on local issues rather than state-level trends.

Speaking at press conference in Mumbai, Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal alleged that the NDA’s performance was aided by “malpractices” and blamed the Election Commission for “vote theft and deletion of voters through SIR (special intensive revision of electoral rolls).” He called the results “dangerous for democracy” and demanded reforms, saying the country “needs an election commissioner like T.N. Seshan.”

AIMIM leader Waris Pathan dismissed criticism of his party as the BJP’s “B team,” asserting that the Mahagathbandhan’s refusal to accommodate AIMIM led to a split in minority votes. “We offered to join with just six seats, but they refused. Now they face defeat and humiliation,” Mr. Pathan said, adding that AIMIM was leading in five constituencies and expected to win seven to eight seats.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut claimed the results were not surprising, alleging that the Election Commission and BJP worked “hand in hand” to execute a “national agenda.” In a post on X, Raut said, “There is no need to be shocked by the Bihar Assembly election results. Looking at the national agenda being carried out hand-in-hand by the Election Commission and the BJP, a different outcome than this was simply not possible. This is exactly like the Maharashtra pattern.”