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As Tejashwi Yadav prepares for a role that demands resilience more than authority, the road ahead for the Opposition promises to be challenging
Tejashwi Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has managed to win 25 seats in the Bihar Assembly polls 2025. (File ohoto)
The Bihar Assembly Election 2025 concluded with a sweeping mandate for the NDA, leaving the Opposition grappling with one of its weakest performances in recent years. As the ruling coalition celebrates its emphatic victory, attention within the Grand Alliance has shifted to a crucial question, who will occupy the chair of the Leader of the Opposition in the new House?
Under legislative norms, a party must secure at least 10% of the total seats in the Assembly to claim the position. With Bihar’s 243-member House, the threshold stands at 24 seats. Tejashwi Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has managed to win 25 seats, just clearing the mark. This technically paves the way for the former Deputy Chief Minister to assume the role. Yet, the real challenge lies in helming what is now an exceptionally diminished Opposition.
The 2025 mandate has reduced the Opposition benches to a mere 35 seats, an alarming contraction marked by a collective loss of 79 seats compared to the previous Assembly. The RJD, which once aspired to lead the electoral contest, saw its influence shrink sharply, and its allies fared even worse.
The Congress, which had secured 19 seats in the last election, could win only 6 this time, a deficit of 13 seats. The Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) failed to open its account altogether despite its chief Mukesh Sahni’s assertive campaign. The parties, who once held 16 seats, have been reduced to just 3.
The NDA, meanwhile, secured 202 seats, with the BJP emerging as the single largest party at 89 seats, closely followed by the JD(U) at 85. Smaller allies rounded off the coalition’s commanding position.
Interestingly, even in defeat, the RJD retained the highest vote share in the state. With 23.42% of the total votes polled, it remained ahead of both the BJP (20.45%) and the JD(U) (19.61%). However, its inability to translate its vote base into seats underscores a widening gap between popularity on paper and performance at the booth.
As Tejashwi Yadav prepares for a role that demands resilience more than authority, the road ahead for the Opposition promises to be challenging. The shrinking numbers raise larger questions about its ability to provide meaningful scrutiny and counterweight to a government armed with a formidable mandate.
Bihar, India, India
November 15, 2025, 17:27 IST
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