'Operation Lotus' in Bihar? Why NDA is targeting 6-member Congress contingent

The Congress party in Bihar may have found it difficult to regain electoral ground in the recently concluded assembly elections, but despite having only six MLAs, it is battling a wave of rumours, with several reports and ruling party leaders in the state claiming that all six Congress legislators are in touch with the National Democratic Alliance. 

A state minister and LJP (RV) leader, Sanjay Singh, last week said the Congress was likely to split in the state after Makar Sankranti, claiming that all its six MLAs were in touch with NDA leaders. The speculation gained further traction when all six MLAs failed to turn up at the party’s traditional ‘Dahi-Chura’ feast at Sadaqat Ashram in Patna on Monday, triggering political chatter across Bihar, subsequently lending weight to the claim.

A section of leaders believe that since the party has a small group of legislators, it would be easier for the ruling alliance to persuade them to switch sides without attracting the anti-defection law, while also negotiating benefits from the move. A senior Congress leader said, "If we see generally, the trust in Congress leadership is decreasing day by day, because we have lost back-to-back elections, maybe because of vote chori or maybe because there is no set mechanism to keep the flock together, there are murmurs in the party that nobody is listening to grievances that the Bihar leaders have."

However, many question the veracity of these claims, asking why the ruling camp would seek more legislators when it already enjoys a comfortable majority in the Bihar Assembly.

Political analysts argue that if the claims are true, they could be part of the BJP’s broader ‘Operation Lotus’, through which the saffron camp has sought to weaken the Congress. They say the effort is not only to poach leaders but also to hollow out the party’s cadre by stripping it of local leadership, leaving little effective opposition in the near future.

“This was never a real issue to begin with. In Bihar, people expect governance, development and tangible results from those in power. Instead of addressing these expectations, the ruling camp is attempting to divert public attention through political distractions,” former Congress Legislature Party leader in Bihar, Shakeel Ahmad Khan, told THE WEEK.

“When genuine concerns related to employment, welfare and law and order remain unaddressed, it is in this atmosphere of the government’s inability to deliver that such rumours are fanned. These stories gain traction because they are deliberately allowed to thrive, shifting focus away from accountability and performance," he said.

The Congress party failed to retain many of its seats in the 2025 assembly elections. In 2020, the grand old party had won 19 assembly seats, but its tally was reduced to six in 2025. During ticket distribution, several leaders accused the state leadership of selling tickets, while many showed little keenness to actively campaign or work to ensure the party’s victory.

After the elections, the Congress also developed friction with its alliance partner, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), alleging that the latter failed to show political maturity. Congress leaders claimed the RJD reduced the party’s seat share and engineered friendly contests in more than half a dozen constituencies, sending a wrong message to the cadre. They also believe the alliance has curtailed the party’s autonomy, limiting its ability to expand its political footprint.