Bihar Goes Saffron: BJP Clinches Single Largest Party Status; PM Modi Thanks Voters' 'Atoot Vishwas'

New Delhi: The NDA is set to get a clear mandate in the Bihar Assembly elections and form the government in the state achieving a new milestone in the history of Bihar politics. Incumbent chief minister Nitish Kumar is once again set to lead the state.

According to the Election Commission, as of now, the NDA has won 202 seats out of which the BJP won 90 seats, making it clinch the single largest party status in Bihar. JD(U) won 84 seats, LJP(R) won 19 seats, HAM(S) has 5 seats and RLM won 4 seats.

The NDA's performance in Bihar can be attributed to the strong show by major parties like BJP and JD(U) with support from Chirag Paswan's LJP(RV) and Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha.

It's worth noting that Bihar recorded a historic 67.13% voter turnout, the highest since 1951, with women voters outnumbering men (71.6% vs 62.8%).

PM Modi Thanks Voters' ‘Atoot Vishwas’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first address to the nation after the landslide victory, said, "Jai Chhathi Maiya, yeh prachand jeet, atoot vishwas, Bihar ke logo ne bilkul garda uda diya hai (This landslide victory has been possible because of the voters' firm belief in the NDA. The people of Bihar have given a befitting reply to the Mahagathbandhan)."

He slammed the Congress for calling Chhath puja a "drama" and said, "To date, Congress and RJD have not apologised to Chhathi Maiya. The people of Bihar will never forget this. Bihar's pride and honour, this is our priority."

"The people of Bihar have played a huge role in India's development. But those who ruled the country for decades always created a false image of Bihar. These people defamed Bihar. They neither respected Bihar's glorious past, nor its traditions and culture, nor its people," he added.

PM Modi also announced the plan of NDA to strive for a UNESCO Heritage List status for Chhath puja.

"Our government is striving to include Chhath in the UNESCO Heritage List. The goal is to connect the entire country and the world with this culture through its significance," he said.

The prime minister also said that the "katta sarkar" has been wiped out from Bihar as voters have opted for a developed state.

"When I used to speak about Jungle Raj and Katta Sarkar in Bihar elections, the RJD party raised no objections. However, this made the Congress uneasy. Today, I want to reiterate that Katta Sarkar will never return to Bihar...The people of Bihar have voted for Viksit Bihar," PM Modi said.

‘Victory for Democracy’

The prime minister further said that the NDA's victory in Bihar is a victory for democracy and has restored the faith of the public in the Election Commission of India.

"Today is not just a victory for the NDA, it is also a victory for democracy. It is a victory for those who believe in Indian democracy. This election has further strengthened the public's trust in the Election Commission of India," the prime minister said.

PM Modi recalled the time when Bihar was dominated by insurgent elements and violence marred elections, and said that times have changed now and voting takes place peacefully.

"The consistently high voter turnout over the past few years, the increased turnout by the deprived and the exploited, is a significant achievement for the Election Commission. This is the same Bihar that was once dominated by Maoist terror. Voting used to end at 3 pm in Naxal-affected areas. But in this election, people in Bihar have voted without fear, with enthusiasm and excitement," PM Modi said.

"You also know what used to happen in Bihar during the times of jungle raj. Violence used to occur openly at polling stations. Ballot boxes were looted. Today, the same Bihar is seeing record voter turnout. It is voting peacefully. Everyone's vote has been recorded. Everyone has cast their vote as per their choice," the prime minister added.

‘Congress is Drowning Allies’

During his address, the prime minister called the Congress party "Muslim League Maoist Congress".

"Today, the Congress has become MMC- Muslim League Maoist Congress and the entire agenda of the Congress now revolves around this, and therefore, within the Congress as well, a separate faction is emerging that is uncomfortable with this negative politics...I fear that there could be another major split in the Congress," he said.

Sharpening his attack on the Congress, he accused the Congress of indulging in "negative politics" that drowns its political allies also.

"Even the Congress allies are beginning to understand that the Congress is drowning everyone in its negative politics. That is why, during the Bihar elections, I said that the 'naamdar' of the Congress is practising to drown himself and others in the Bihar elections by taking a dip in the pond," the prime minister said.

"I have previously warned Congress allies from this very platform. I said that Congress is a liability. Congress is a parasite that wants to make a comeback by swallowing the vote bank of its allies," he added.

‘Victory of Good Governance’

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday described the NDA's impressive performance in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections as the "victory of good governance, development, public welfare and social justice" and vowed to work with renewed vigour for the state's progress.

In a series of posts on X, the Prime Minister wrote, "Victory of good governance has been achieved. Victory of development has been achieved. Victory of the spirit of public welfare has been achieved. Victory of social justice has been achieved. My deepest gratitude to the family members of Bihar, who have blessed the NDA with a historic and unprecedented victory in the 2025 assembly elections. This resounding public mandate will empower us to serve the people and work with new resolve for Bihar."

PM Modi said the people of Bihar reposed faith in the NDA after witnessing its track record and vision for the state.

"The NDA has ensured all-round development of the state. The people have given us a massive majority after witnessing our track record and our vision to take the state to new heights. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ji and our NDA family colleagues Chirag Paswan ji, Jitan Ram Manjhi ji, and Upendra Kushwaha ji for this resounding victory," he posted.

Appreciating the hard work of party workers, the Prime Minister said, "I express my gratitude to each worker of the NDA, who have worked tirelessly. They went among the public, presented our development agenda, and firmly countered every lie of the opposition. I appreciate them from the bottom of my heart!"

Looking ahead, PM Modi promised focused efforts on infrastructure, culture and empowerment of youth and women in Bihar.

"In the coming times, we will actively work towards the development of Bihar, giving a new identity to the infrastructure here and the culture of the state. We will ensure that the youth power and women's power here get ample opportunities for a prosperous life," he added.

Nitish Kumar Thanks Voters

Bihar Chief Minsiter Nitish Kumar thanked voters and expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Rashtirya Lok Morcha and Hindustani Awam Morcha.

He asserted that Bihar will now progress even further with the support of all the NDA members.

"In the Bihar Legislative Assembly Elections-2025, the people of the state have expressed their confidence in our government by giving us a massive majority. For this, I bow to all the esteemed voters of the state, and express my heartfelt gratitude and thanks. I express my heartfelt gratitude and thanks to the Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji for the support received from him, while bowing to him," CM Nitish Kumar said in a post on X.

"The NDA alliance has achieved a massive majority in this election by demonstrating complete unity. For this massive victory, thanks and gratitude are also due to all the partners of the NDA alliance - Shri Chirag Paswan Ji, Shri Jitan Ram Manjhi Ji, and Shri Upendra Kushwaha Ji," he said.

"With the support of all of you, Bihar will progress even further and will be included in the category of the most developed states in the country," Nitish wrote on X.

‘Befitting Reply to Those Who Underestimated Me’: Chirag Paswan 

After registering a thumping performance in the Bihar Assembly polls within the National Democratic Alliance, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) Chief Chirag Paswan emphasised on Saturday that the outcome of the polls have given a befitting reply to those who underestimated him.

The LJP(RV) has already won eight seats and is currently leading on 11 others out of the total 29 seats it contested on.

Chirag remarked on the impressive strike rate of the alliance and emphasised that the people of Bihar have answered critics who underestimated him.

Paswan confidently predicted that Nitish Kumar would once again be the Chief Minister.

"This time too, without pointing any fingers at the exit polls, I had confidence in myself, not on anyone's survey... I have seen many taunts on strike rate. But the alliance's strike rate has been beautiful... The people of Bihar have given a befitting reply to those who made the mistake of underestimating me... Nitish Kumar will once again be the Chief Minister. I fully trust this,' he said.

He added, "I believe that my father will be extremely happy wherever he is, would be blessing the party workers, and impressed with all our hard work."

'Cong Made Personal Attacks That Went Beyond Limits': Chirag Paswan

Further, the Union Minister targeted the opposition over its "Vote chori" or the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) allegations, stressing that the Bihar results have put a "full stop" on all of them.

"This victory has put a full stop on misconceptions that the opposition tried to perpetrate, whether it was the SIR issue or 'vote-chori' allegations. Rahul Gandhi frequently made personal comments on my Prime Minister... Biharis are known for their manners too. Bihar and the Congress never understood that every time they used indecent language, they were moving towards self-harm...," Chirag Paswan said.

He also accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of indulging in "provocative politics" and attributed the loss of the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar elections to "personal comments" made against Biharis by their leaders.

"Yesterday, they stated that an atmosphere similar to that of Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka will be created in India. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi repeatedly says that Gen Z should play their role. This is provocative politics... Finding fault with every issue, blaming EVMs, and blaming officials. If they spent as much time on their own assessment as they do on finding fault, then Congress and RJD would likely achieve something better... No Bihari tolerates personal comments that go below the limits... The 'Mahagathbandhan' has suffered losses due to this repeatedly," Paswan told ANI.

According to data from the Election Commission of India, the NDA has surpassed the majority mark and is now leading in 202 of the 243 seats in the Bihar Assembly.

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