India Modi's coalition wins landslide victory in Bihar election
Voters in the eastern Indian state of Bihar have given the Hindu nationalist BJP party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and its partners a resounding victory in the parliamentary elections. The ruling coalition thus remains in power after its victory in Bihar five years ago. It was also able to increase its majority in the legislative assembly by a surprisingly large margin, according to figures from the state election commission.
14.11.2025, 19:30
SDA
The election result is seen as a major prestige victory for the chief minister. The BJP had lost its absolute majority in the lower house for the first time in ten years in last year's nationwide parliamentary elections, but remained the strongest force.
Joy and shock
Modi spoke on social media of a "historic and unprecedented victory" that would strengthen the coalition. "This result in Bihar is really shocking," wrote Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi from the Congress party on X. The election was not fair from the beginning. With results still pending in seven constituencies, it was already clear that the ruling coalition could look forward to a majority of more than two thirds in the 243-seat lower house. According to the official figures, the BJP and its most important regional partner Janata Dal (United) alone had already won 171 seats by then.
Bihar is located in the so-called Hindi heartland and is still one of the poorest union states despite high growth rates in recent years. Important topics in the election campaign were the fight against unemployment and economic development. More than 74 million residents were called upon to cast their votes. Voting took place in two phases on November 6 and 11. According to Indian broadcaster NDTV, the turnout was over 67 percent.
Controversy over electoral roll
The election campaign was overshadowed by a controversy surrounding the electoral roll. According to reports in the Indian media, 6.5 million names were removed from the list for Bihar during a revision in the summer. The state election commission explained that the revision had become necessary due to the death or migration of voters and duplicate entries.
