Bihar Polls: Tejashwi's Grand Alliance Falls Short Despite Promises, NDA Secures Majority

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New Delhi: Despite Tejashwi Yadav's efforts to expand his voter base, the Grand Alliance (GA) has failed to secure a decisive victory in the Bihar state assembly elections, with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leading in the 243-member house. Trends suggest that the GA's reliance on traditional Muslim-Yadav (MY) support, accounting for 34% of the state's population, has not been enough to propel the alliance to success. While Tejashwi attempted to broaden his social base by allocating tickets to Kushwaha and Koeri voters, the move appears to have been unsuccessful. The GA secured 37% of the vote share, compared to the NDA's 48%, which has managed to win the majority of votes from various castes except the MY community. During the campaign, Tejashwi made several promises, including a government job for every family, ₹2,500 per month for every woman, and ₹30,000 as monthly salary to Jeevika Didis. However, these promises were met with skepticism by the NDA, which accused the GA of making unrealistic commitments. The NDA's campaign strategy focused on highlighting Nitish Kumar's delivery of schemes, which appears to have resonated with voters. Tejashwi's efforts were further hindered by the lack of a strong support system, with his father Lalu Prasad having a limited presence in the polls. The family's internal conflicts, including the expulsion of Tejashwi's brother Tej Pratap and cryptic messages from his sister Rohini Acharya, also provided the NDA with an opportunity to capitalize on the GA's weaknesses. The NDA successfully used the GA's internal issues to its advantage, reminding voters about the 'jungle raj' during Lalu's tenure as chief minister. This message resonated with voters above 40 years of age, who had faced law-and-order issues during his rule. The GA's inability to create a narrative against Nitish Kumar and its weak social media push also contributed to its downfall. As the election trends indicate a decisive victory for the NDA, many political commentators are speculating that Tejashwi's energy and momentum from the 2020 polls were missing in the 2025 campaign. The RJD's failure to counter the pre-poll money distributed by the Bihar government and its weak social media presence have also been cited as reasons for the GA's poor performance.