Bihar: Even as counting draws to a close, the Indian National Congress is suffering a serious election blow in Bihar, trailing in five constituencies and having just won one seat thus far. Despite running in considerably fewer seats, the party’s performance has lagged behind that of the AIMIM, which has already won four seats and is leading in one more.
(Abhishek Ranjan, margin 495) Chanpatia Forbesganj (margin 221, Manoj Bishwas) Araria (margin 10,697, Abidur Rahman) Manihari (margin 18,460, Manohar Prasad Singh) Only Kishanganj, where Md. Qamrul Hoda won by a margin of 12,794 votes, was won by the party. Despite Rahul Gandhi’s well-publicized Vote Adhikar Yatra, a 25-district march that covered 110 assembly constituencies from Sasaram to Patna, the Congress has performed poorly. The campaign claimed that under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the Election Commission had excluded 1.5 crore voters, primarily Muslim and impoverished.
Although the Yatra sparked excitement at first, it was unable to maintain momentum. Paradoxically, Congress is losing every seat along the Yatra route. Party insiders said Rahul Gandhi’s extended absence from the campaign in September–October, purportedly over discontent with ticket allotment favouring RJD allies, further harmed morale and grassroots mobilisation. On the other hand, the Seemanchal region has seen an outstanding performance from the AIMIM. The party is in the lead in Baisi and has won four seats: Jokihat, Bahadurganj, Kochadhaman, and Amour. Its strong local leadership and focused attention to areas with a majority of Muslims seem to have paid off. The findings highlight a growing problem for the party’s structure, strategy, and leadership in Bihar, with Congress falling short of even the AIMIM in a number of crucial areas. This raises serious concerns about the party’s place in the Mahagathbandhan and its future in the political landscape of the state.
