The principal opposition party in Bihar, Rashtriya Janata Dal, went from 80 legislators in the assembly to just 25 in the 2025 elections, a decline of more than 65 per cent in its strength. The Indian National Congress too suffered a similar slide, shrinking from 19 MLAs to six. The reduced numbers have not only weakened their political standing but also deepened resentment within their ranks.
According to political observers, both camps are struggling more with their internal issues than with effectively occupying the opposition space. This has created a vacuum within Bihar’s opposition politics.
Key leaders at the helm in both the RJD and Congress reportedly do not hold a high opinion of each other, further suggesting a freeze in ties. That makes a collective push against the ruling alliance difficult, especially after the NDA’s massive mandate of 202 seats in the 243-member assembly.
“We have been part of the RJD-led coalition for the past few decades and we don’t have a good experience with them, politically as well as electorally. We have lost elections with them and lost our space too. There seemingly has been an informal decoupling,” a former Congress MLA said. However, neither side has officially indicated any break in the alliance.
With the RJD weakened, some Congress leaders believe this was the right moment for the grand old party to attempt a revival and tap into the emerging vacuum. But the Congress leadership in the state has shown little sign of organisational rebuilding or political aggression that could signal a recovery.
Even the BJP-led government in the state sees the Opposition as an incapacitated group, which, according to leaders, has also contributed to the BJP keeping a relatively low profile on its communal politics.
“It was expected that after the BJP came back, there could be communal posturing, but till now there hasn’t been anything like that,” a Congress leader said. “Earlier, they could not have done it because the BJP was under the leadership of Nitish Kumar and there were direct instructions against any communal activities.”
While the RJD’s more than two decades out of power as the principal opposition party has infused hopelessness among sections of its cadre, the Congress faced a different crisis after the 2025 Assembly elections. A large section of party workers expressed dissatisfaction with the state leadership over ticket distribution, alleging that preference was given to new entrants while old-timers were sidelined.
The Congress has also not taken any action against the three cross-voters in the Rajya Sabha elections, unlike in states such as Odisha and Haryana where cross-voting legislators were suspended. Leaders in the state believe disciplinary action is unlikely, as the three MLAs constitute nearly half of the party’s current Assembly strength.