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The victory was not accidental, but the result of a coordinated electoral masterclass marrying granular caste arithmetic with a populist welfare delivery mechanism
The party ensured high worker morale through numerous NDA Sammelans (conferences) held across every assembly constituency. (News18)
After a stunning victory in the Bihar assembly elections, top sources within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have given an exclusive peek into the meticulously planned, multi-layered strategy that powered the NDA coalition to a decisive mandate. The “winning formula”, according to a senior party leader, was a complex blend of intricate caste engineering, relentless ground mobilisation, strategic alliance management, and a direct welfare outreach to the state’s neediest population.
The bedrock of the strategy was a micro-level caste assessment conducted months before the polls. “We held multiple meetings to identify the caste equation on all 243 seats,” the senior BJP functionary revealed. The core objective was to ensure that even where seats went to an ally, the candidate belonged to a carefully decided caste group as per the BJP’s assessment. This precision planning successfully placed candidates aligning with this analysis by the entire NDA, except in a few seats. Thus, the seat-sharing arrangement was spot on as planned.
Acknowledging the damage caused to the JD(U) by Chirag Paswan in 2020, the BJP played the long game. The party acceded to his demands not for his win potential, but to secure his support base. “Our focus was on the six per cent Paswan votes, which have always supported him,” the source confirmed. This ensured those crucial Dalit votes remained firmly within the NDA fold.
The party ensured high worker morale through numerous NDA Sammelans (conferences) held across every assembly constituency. Simultaneously, they executed an aggressive deployment plan, bringing in leaders from other states to work at the constituency and block levels, ensuring a comprehensive, saturation-level campaign. The reliability of the Modi-Nitish combination, touted for its delivery track record in other states, was a key campaign message.
A critical regional strategy was implemented in the Magadh and Shahbad regions, where a specific combination of leaders like Pawan Singh and Upendra Kushwaha was created to consolidate the decisive Rajput and Kushwaha votes. In 2020, the NDA could only win two seats out of 24 due to the Rajput and Kushwaha divide.
Crucially, the BJP identified a gap in its developmental narrative. While major infrastructure projects like new airports and national highways are key, a section of the rural population needed immediate relief. The internal assessment led to a focus on providing “basic help, some money in pockets, and ration” to keep life running until long-term infrastructural push started yielding direct benefits for them. The prime minister’s personal involvement in ensuring these announcements were executed, while avoiding the “revdi” (freebie) label, was central to this trust-building exercise.
Meanwhile, the strategy for neutralising Prashant Kishor’s campaign was to deliberately withhold attention. “If we had reacted to him, he would have gotten more attention and relevance,” was the party’s consistent view, which led to a concerted effort by top leaders to avoid targeting his allegations.
The victory, therefore, was not accidental, but the result of a coordinated electoral masterclass marrying granular caste arithmetic with a populist welfare delivery mechanism.
November 14, 2025, 14:02 IST
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