The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which led the Mahagathbandhan alliance with the Congress in Bihar, ended its campaign with a disappointing performance in the state assembly elections. The party contested 143 seats but managed to win only 25. This poor result has come as a major setback for the party, which hoped to challenge the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Despite the low seat count, the RJD recorded the highest vote share among all parties in these elections. According to the Election Commission of India, the RJD secured 23 per cent of the total votes. However, this was slightly lower than its 23.11 per cent vote share in the previous elections, when it had fielded 144 candidates.
In comparison, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) increased its vote share from 19.46 per cent in 2020 to 20.07 per cent this year.
A key question emerging from these results is why the RJD lost despite having the highest vote share.
The RJD’s high vote share shows that the party performed well in many constituencies but often finished second or third. In these seats, the party gathered a large number of votes but did not win, adding to the overall vote share but not to the seat tally.
Another factor is the number of seats contested. The RJD fought on 143 seats, far more than the BJP or the Janata Dal (United), which contested 101 seats each.
Meanwhile, the NDA secured a strong mandate with 202 seats. The BJP won 89 seats, the JDU 85, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) 19, Hindustani Awam Morcha five and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha four.
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Shivam Verma is a journalist with over three years of experience in digital newsrooms. He currently works at NewsX, having previously worked for Firstpost and DNA India. A postgraduate diploma holder in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Shivam focuses on international affairs, diplomacy, defence, and politics. Beyond the newsroom, he is passionate about football—both playing and watching—and enjoys travelling to explore new places and cuisines.
