Bihar Results: What Happens Next in Bihar?

Bihar Results: What Comes Next for Bihar

Elections to the Bihar Assembly have witnessed an extraordinary voter turnout. Participation soared to about 67% — the highest recorded in the state since 1951. What does this mean for the assembly election outcome and the shifting power dynamics in Bihar? In the past, low voter turnout has often enabled the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to retain power — by hook or by crook.

What has left the political class befuddled is understanding what lay behind this unusually high voter turnout. Was it a surge of support for Nitish Kumar’s coalition and the BJP, or did targeted welfare measures—such as the ₹10,000 transfer to women—help consolidate their vote? With the NDA securing a resounding victory, these questions now take on even greater significance.

Analyses have mostly been one-sided about why there was a surge in voter turnout and how it ultimately benefited the NDA led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The Bihar results have also clarified what many had speculated: although the BJP had not officially announced Nitish Kumar as its chief ministerial candidate during the campaign, the scale of the NDA’s victory—winning over 200 seats—has now firmly reinforced his position at the helm of India’s second most populous state.

Despite his shortcomings, Nitish Kumar remains acceptable to a large section of people in Bihar and across political parties. The general belief is that he would not allow harm to the state and would work in its best interest. That assertion, however, has been challenged by the campaign narrative of his opponents—the Tejashwi Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress Party.

Nitish’s critics claim he has failed to safeguard Bihar’s interests and has allowed industries to relocate to Gujarat, Prime Minister Modi’s home state. Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, also from Gujarat, has claimed that Bihar has no land available for factories. This statement has angered many in Bihar, where people often migrate long distances in search of work. Rough estimates suggest that about 2.5 crore Biharis work outside the state. Their hardship would ease considerably if industries were set up locally.

Although some government schemes have benefitted common citizens, poverty remains widespread. Cognizant of the dire need for cash among ordinary people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a ₹10,000 payment to women in the state—a move many found bizarre. While the announcement came before the campaign officially began, the money was transferred to accounts just a day before polling. The BJP’s message was loud and clear: Vote for our candidates; we gave you the money.

Bihar Results: Allegations, Anxiety, and the Battle Over Voter Influence

Economists point out that the average monthly income in Bihar is around ₹5,000, so ₹10,000 amounts to two months’ wages—without working. With the Bihar results now declared, analysts argue that the NDA’s landslide shows this cash transfer may indeed have had electoral impact. Post-poll analyses suggest the government believes that putting money directly in women’s hands is effective, since they are seen as independent political decision-makers. The BJP assumes women vote independently of men. This assertion, however, is debatable. While some women—especially those whose husbands work in cities—may vote independently, it is unlikely they overlook major issues like unemployment, migration, health, and other concerns that shape everyday life in Bihar’s households.

Do these women not speak to their husbands regularly over the phone, thanks to Mukesh Ambani’s affordable Jio network? The BJP hoped women would back Nitish Kumar as they did during the prohibition years, when he empowered them to restrain their errant men. But much has changed since then. What is now clear from the Bihar results is that the BJP’s calculation paid off this time, even as the party overlooked a historical lesson—higher voter turnout often works against incumbents.

Bihar Results: Security, Scrutiny, and the Questions Raised by the Opposition

In the run-up to the polls, the Indian National Congress added a dramatic twist by alleging that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters—launched suspiciously close to election day—was an attempt to manipulate the voter list. They claimed, with what they described as evidence, that the BJP maintains an “army of voters” who move from state to state casting ballots for the party. Lawyer and MP Kapil Sibal even alleged that special trains were carrying such voters from Haryana to Bihar, though no official response satisfactorily addressed his charge.

Those accusations, however, did little to shift the final outcome. The Bihar results showed a decisive victory for the NDA, overshadowing pre-poll jitters and the lone survey that predicted a neck-and-neck contest with Tejashwi Yadav. Yadav, who had positioned himself as the face of youth and change, had warned his supporters against any foul play and suggested they would not tolerate manipulated results. Another RJD MLA had even cautioned about possible unrest if votes appeared “stolen.”

Anticipating tensions during Bihar results, the Election Commission, with support from the Union Home Ministry, deployed additional IAS officers and stationed 108 battalions to maintain order. In the end, the transition unfolded without the unrest some had feared.

With the results now firmly in, the question is no longer whether chaos will erupt, but what the mandate means for Bihar’s future. The NDA’s sweeping win gives Nitish Kumar a renewed authority—and a renewed responsibility—to address the very issues that drove voter anxiety: unemployment, migration, stalled industrial growth, and the demand for dignity in everyday life. What comes next for Bihar will depend on whether this mandate becomes an opportunity for governance, or another chapter of political manoeuvring in a state long accustomed to both.