Bihar Elections: NDA's Landslide Victory Renders Opposition's Internal Struggles Irrelevant

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In a resounding victory, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured a landslide win in the Bihar assembly elections, capturing 202 seats out of 243 constituencies. The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), formed to counter BJP dominance, trailed behind with 35 seats. The opposition bloc's internal coordination issues, including friendly fights among its constituents and rebellions within the coalition, proved to be a non-factor in the outcome. A review of 15 key constituencies revealed that the INDIA bloc, even at its best, could secure only two seats if its parties had maintained unity. Vote tallies in these constituencies showed that the opposition bloc's combined strength fell short of the NDA's margin by substantial margins. For instance, in Kahalgaon, JD(U)'s Shubhanand Mukesh secured 1,30,767 votes, surpassing RJD's and Congress's combined total by 40,029 votes. Similarly, in Narkatiaganj, BJP's Sanjay Kumar Pandey polled 1,00,044 votes, exceeding RJD and Congress's combined total by 21,070 votes. Seven other seats showed similar dynamics, with the combined strength of opposition parties falling short of the NDA's margin in each case. Rebel candidates also failed to make a significant impact, with some even drawing fewer votes than their official party nominees. In Mahua, expelled RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav drew 35,703 votes under the Janshakti Janata Dal banner, while RJD's official nominee polled 42,644 votes. The sole exception was the Parihar constituency, where a united RJD total would have secured a victory, but in most other seats, the opposition bloc's internal struggles rendered it ineffective in the face of the NDA's landslide victory.