In Focus by The Hindu Bihar verdict: Anomaly, or end of the road for the Opposition?
Nov 19, 2025
Professor Kumar Sanjay, a History professor at Swami Shraddhanand College in Delhi, analyzes Bihar's recent election results. He discusses the unexpected NDA victory and the role of caste dynamics in voting patterns, arguing it was a JDU-driven success rather than a saffron wave. Sanjay critiques the RJD's failure to connect with agrarian voters and the implications of the Special Intensive Revision on electoral outcomes. He warns about challenges for the Opposition in upcoming elections and questions India's trajectory towards one-party dominance.
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Conventional Caste Politics Explained
- Bihar's result was largely 'conventional' with caste blocs holding steady and alliances shifting outcomes.
- Professor Kumar Sanjay argues the victory was a JDU wave, not a pure BJP wave, driven by transferable JDU votes to allies.
SIR's Measurable Electoral Impact
- Special Intensive Revision (SIR) correlated with margins shifting seats from Mahagathbandhan to NDA.
- Sanjay links vote deletions/additions in SIR to several constituency-level outcome changes.
RJD Missed The Agrarian Center
- RJD tried expanding with marginal caste partners and a one-job-per-family promise but failed to win new rural EBC support.
- Sanjay calls this a strategic blunder for not emphasising agrarian issues like Bazar Samitis and MSP.