Tejashwi Yadav looked weak in Bihar elections 2025. Hollow promises of job, discord in the alliance and family disputes made his path difficult. At the same time, NDA is moving towards a clear majority with the help of welfare schemes.
The initial trends of Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 clearly show that Tejashwi Yadav’s ‘brightness’ has faded this time. Leave aside the dream of becoming the Chief Minister, under his leadership the RJD and the entire Grand Alliance was wiped out. On the other hand, NDA is on the way to form the government with an overwhelming majority. The question is where did Tejashwi Yadav go wrong? Why did the public reject the alliance that presented itself as the face of change?
1. The ‘one and a half crore’ promise of a government job backfired
Tejashwi Yadav promised to give a government job to one member from every family. But the ground truth is that there are about 2.5 crore families in Bihar and the total number of employees in government jobs is less than 15 lakh. In such a situation, about 1.5 crore government jobs in 5 years… people found this to be a big deal. The voter asked, “How many jobs did you give last time you were in the government?” The public did not get the answer, and the promise backfired.
2. Deputy CM’s promise to VIP chief Mukesh Sahni
During the elections, Tejashwi talked about giving the post of Deputy Chief Minister to VIP chief Mukesh Sahni. Many people felt that Sahni’s support base was not big enough to make him directly the Deputy CM. Muslim voters in particular were left confused as to what guarantees were in store for them, which created doubts within the Grand Alliance as well.
3. Struggle in the Grand Alliance till the last moment
The tug of war continued for days between Congress and RJD regarding seat sharing. On many seats both of them fielded candidates without any agreement. In the end there was coordination, but by then the playing field had changed. The message had been sent that the alliance is weak from within. RJD showed less confidence and more doubt.
4. Family feud and Tej Pratap’s rebellion increased the loss.
RJD supporters did not like Tej Pratap Yadav’s entry into the fray by forming a separate party and giving a statement against his brother. This statement of Tej Pratap became the most viral, “If Tejashwi went to Mahua, I had to go to Raghopur.” Even though the impact on votes was less, the impact on the image was huge.
5. ‘Overconfidence’ of the success of the last election proved costly
RJD had performed strongly in 2020. On the basis of that success, Tejashwi accepted that this time too the wave is in his favor. Talked less about alliance and more about marketing his own face. To the voters, this did not seem like confidence, but rather like arrogance.
6. NDA’s ‘Rewri Politics’ and Nitish-Modi model won
Just before the elections, Nitish government extended the benefits of many schemes to the public. Like financial assistance to girl students, ration-pension distribution, speedy work done at Panchayat level and Rs 10,000 under the Women Employment Scheme just before the elections. People thought, “Only the one who is delivering now has confidence. Why bet on those who make promises?” This strategy of NDA overshadowed RJD.
7. ‘Big promises’ made in Tejashwi’s last moments could not create election magic
On the last day of the campaign, Tejashwi promised to give Rs 30,000 each to the women. People thought it was a last-minute attempt to study all night during exam time. When voters had already received relief from the government, it was difficult to believe the new promise.