NEW DELHI: The second and final phase of voting in the Bihar Assembly elections began on Monday, with polling taking place across 122 constituencies in 20 districts of the northern and southern regions of the state.
The elections are considered a critical test of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling alliance, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), with a coalition of opposition parties, the Mahagatbandhan or “Grand Alliance,” seeking to make significant gains in this politically pivotal state.
In a major setback for Modi’s ruling alliance, a coalition of parties opposing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a decisive electoral victory in the northern Indian state of Bihar in the first phase of voting on Thursday.
The election in this politically pivotal northern state saw Prime Minister Modi’s National Democratic Alliance (NDA) face off against the Mahagatbandhan, or “Grand Alliance,” comprising anti-BJP parties.
The coalition included several regional heavyweights as well as the Indian National Congress.
Bihar ranks as India’s poorest state on key poverty indicators, according to the government’s NITI Aayog policy think tank.
The state’s GDP per capita stands at INR 52,379, a figure comparable to that of the Central African Republic.
Overall, 1,302 candidates are contesting for the high-stakes elections as 37 million voters determine the fate of key ministers and crucial constituencies, particularly across the Seemanchal and Champaran regions.
According to data from the Election Commission of India, the anti-BJP alliance captured nearly three-quarters of the Bihar Assembly seats, winning 178 of 243 in the first round.
While Modi’s BJP remained the single largest party in terms of votes, its alliance managed to secure only 58 seats.
Beyond the immediate political drama, the Bihar election results carry broader implications for Prime Minister Modi.
In the short term, the outcome represents a notable setback for Modi in three key ways: it undermines his prestige, complicates politics within and beyond the ruling alliance, and makes Parliament a greater obstacle to his initiatives.
Over the longer term, however, the impact on Modi’s economic reform plans should not be overstated.
A fierce contest is now underway for 24 seats in the Seemanchal region, which includes the districts of Katihar, Kishanganj, Araria, and Purnia. Owaisi’s party has focused on the Muslim-majority constituencies, an outreach that the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has criticised as an “extremist” move.
This phase also covers the Champaran belt, which comprises 21 assembly constituencies, along with the Mithilanchal region’s two districts — Madhubani and Supaul — that together account for 15 seats. In the 2020 elections, the NDA had performed significantly better than the opposition alliance in these areas.
Both the ruling and opposition alliances made last-minute appeals to voters and reiterated their key promises as campaigning for the second phase of the Bihar Assembly elections.
Union Home Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Shah addressed public rallies in Sasaram and Arwal, where he targeted the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) over alleged “infighting,” asserting that there was “no vacancy for the Chief Minister’s post in Bihar.”
Nepal has already sealed its border with India, restricting vehicular movement at the Birgunj–Raxaul border point from Saturday, ahead of the second phase of the Bihar Assembly elections.
According to officials, all India–Nepal border crossings in southern Nepal have been closed for 72 hours as part of heightened security measures during the polls in the neighbouring country.
This region holds a significant Muslim population, making it a decisive battleground for both alliances.
The Bihar defeat undermines Prime Minister Modi’s standing, as the BJP had positioned him as the central figure of the campaign.
It also lends support to the widely discussed idea that parties opposing the BJP can successfully challenge the Modi wave if they strategically unite.
