Mahagathbandhan Hopes Drown as RJD Faces Catastrophic Seat Loss In Bihar

The Mahagathbandhan’s bid for power suffered a catastrophic blow as early trends showed the BJP-led NDA securing over 190 seats; the RJD, the opposition’s largest party, is currently trailing in nearly half the seats it won in the 2020 election.

November 14, 2025: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led Mahagathbandhan (MGB) is staring at a massive defeat in the Bihar Assembly elections, with trends indicating a crushing mandate in favor of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

As of early afternoon, the NDA, fronted by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, appeared set for a thumping victory, leading in as many as 194 of the 243 seats, comfortably surpassing the majority mark of 122. In stark contrast, the Mahagathbandhan has been relegated to a distant second, leading in barely 44 seats—a significant decline from the 110 seats it secured in 2020.

RJD Seat Tally Takes a Nosedive

The biggest casualty of the NDA surge is the RJD. As the largest constituent of the MGB, the party is struggling to hold onto its traditional bastions. In the 2020 elections, the RJD emerged as the single-largest party with 75 seats; however, current trends show the party leading in only about 32 to 36 seats. This stark underperformance represents a loss of nearly 40 seats compared to its previous tally.

This setback for the RJD is compounded by the poor showing of its ally, the Congress, which is leading in only a handful of seats (around 4-6), failing to convert its share of the contest into viable gains for the alliance.

Symbolic Blows and Key Battles

The disappointing performance is a symbolic blow to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who had spearheaded the campaign, promising development and employment. While Yadav himself has managed to hold onto a lead in his stronghold of Raghopur, the alliance’s inability to translate his rallies into votes across the state has been widely noted.

Meanwhile, within the NDA, the BJP has emerged as the clear dominant force, leading in nearly 88 seats, with the JD(U) following closely behind at 78 seats, firmly establishing the alliance’s dominance and setting the stage for Nitish Kumar’s likely return for a fifth term.

The trends not only validate the majority of exit polls that predicted an NDA sweep but also cement the failure of the RJD-Congress alliance strategy to counter the combined appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.