The Bihar election results picture is almost drawn to a conclusion with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the BJP-JDU combine heading to a landslide victory in the state. As per the latest trends, the NDA is poised to win 208 seats while the Mahagathbandhan is losing the race with only 28 seats in its hand. A major factor contributing to the Opposition alliance's defeat is the poor strike rate of its partners, Congress and CPIML in two consecutive assembly elections in the state, marking a poor strike rate.
Congress and CPIML: A strike rate comparison in Bihar elections
Strike rate in 2025
In the 2025 Bihar assembly elections, the RJD contested 143 of the 243 Assembly seats, while the Congress fielded candidates in 61. The remaining seats were allocated among other Mahagathbandhan partners, including the Left parties and Mukesh Sahani’s Vikassheel Insaan Party.
As per the latest trends around 4 pm on election day, the Congress is on track to win only two seats out of the 61 it contested, marking a strike rate of just 3.3%, which is extremely low for a party of its size and national standing. Similarly, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) - CPIML, which has a smaller but dedicated base, is leading in only one seat. While it was contesting a smaller number of seats, the poor result in even these constituencies signals a lack of wider support or influence in the state.
Strike rate in 2020
In the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, both Congress and CPI-ML (Communist Party of India Marxist-Leninist) faced disappointing outcomes, reflecting their poor strike rates. Congress contested 70 seats as part of the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance). However, despite the significant number of seats contested, Congress managed to secure only 19 seats, resulting in a strike rate of 27.1%. This was a marked decline from the 2015 elections, where Congress had won 27 seats out of 41 contested. While Congress's strike rate wasn't disastrous, it was still seen as underwhelming considering their expectation to fare better as part of a broad opposition alliance, and it was well below the performance of their major alliance partner, RJD.
The CPI-ML, which contested 19 seats in 2020, had a better showing than the Congress. The party managed to secure 12 seats, resulting in a strike rate of 63.2%. While this was an improvement compared to their 2015 performance (where they won 3 seats from 19 contested), their overall impact remained limited. CPI-ML’s traditional support base among Dalits and marginalised communities in the Kosi and Seemanchal regions did help them gain inroads into the elections.
