As early trends indicated a sweeping victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Bihar Assembly Elections, leaders across Maharashtra responded strongly to the unfolding situation. Members of the ruling Mahayuti alliance called the verdict a public endorsement of “vikas raj”, framing it as a vote in favour of development-driven governance. In contrast, opposition parties claimed the results reflected an “Election Commission (EC)-BJP nexus” and a split in minority votes, which they argued weakened the Mahagathbandhan’s prospects. Both sides viewed the Bihar results as influential for broader political narratives at the national level.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis congratulated the NDA for its strong performance and said the outcome reflected public trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. Expressing gratitude to Bihar’s voters for giving the alliance a “huge mandate”, he attributed the victory to Kumar’s “pro-governance image”. Fadnavis added, “There was a clear pro-incumbency wave in Bihar. People have shown once again that their faith lies in Nitish Kumar's leadership.” He criticised the Congress for alleging “vote chori”, arguing that such accusations had damaged its credibility and backfired during the campaign.
Continuing his criticism of the Opposition, Fadnavis accused the Congress of creating a “fake narrative” around electoral manipulation, claiming voters had rejected such claims. He said, “As long as Rahul Gandhi keeps insulting constitutional bodies and the people's mandate, the Congress is bound to lose badly,” stressing the need for introspection within the Opposition. He further remarked, “Rahul Gandhi took out yatras, made baseless claims, but people did not believe him. They trusted Nitish Kumar.” According to Fadnavis, the united effort of the NDA under Nitish Kumar’s leadership had been reaffirmed through the resounding results emerging from Bihar.
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also praised the trends, describing them as a strong indication of the public choosing development over disorder. He said the people of Bihar had rejected “jungle raj” and opted for “vikas raj”, emphasising the significant participation of women voters. “Bihar has voted for development under Nitish Kumar and Modi's leadership. Similarly, women (laadki bahin) ensured the NDA got a landslide win just like Maharashtra (in the 2024 assembly polls),” he stated. Shinde congratulated PM Modi and Nitish Kumar for the “historic mandate”, while his son, MP Dr Shrikant Shinde, called the outcome a reaffirmation of Modi’s visionary leadership.
Dr Shrikant Shinde added that Bihar’s voters had clearly chosen stability and integrity over corruption and chaos. He said, “The people of Bihar have delivered a clear and unmistakable message - they have rejected the forces of corruption, chaos and jungle raj, and chosen the path of Mangal Raj, development and dignity.” Targeting the Congress, he stated, “The Congress slipping to single digits exposes a simple truth - Rahul Gandhi commands zero political credibility… Their caste card, their communal card, their fabricated narratives - everything has collapsed.” His remarks echoed the Mahayuti narrative that development-focused politics had triumphed over divisive strategies.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also welcomed the emerging mandate, calling it a clear vote in favour of stability and reform. Pawar said, “Bihar has voted for good governance and a progressive future, by choosing the NDA to lead the state and its people.” The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader maintained that the results reflected confidence in leadership dedicated to development. He noted that Bihar’s mandate highlighted the public’s preference for administrative continuity, growth-oriented governance and long-term policy planning. Pawar’s response aligned with other Mahayuti leaders who viewed the Bihar verdict as a reaffirmation of the NDA’s governance model.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut took a sharply different position, alleging that the results were shaped by a coordinated “Election Commission-BJP national agenda”. He argued the outcome was predictable and posted on X: “There is no need to be shocked by the Bihar Assembly election results… Looking at the national agenda being carried out hand-in-hand by the Election Commission and the BJP, a different outcome than this was simply not possible. This is exactly like the Maharashtra pattern.” Raut also said the alliance expected to form the government had been pushed “below 50 seats”, questioning the overall fairness of the electoral process.
AIMIM leader Waris Pathan, responding from Mumbai as the counting progressed, blamed the RJD-Congress Mahagathbandhan for dividing minority votes. Rejecting accusations that AIMIM functioned as “BJP’s B team”, he said the party’s leads were encouraging and added he hoped to win seven to eight seats. “The RJD and Congress are themselves responsible for the division of minority votes… We had offered them the opportunity to come together by seeking only six seats, but they refused,” Pathan stated. He argued that similar decisions had weakened the Opposition in Maharashtra as well, highlighting what he described as repeated strategic errors.
Pathan continued his criticism by attacking the Mahagathbandhan’s decision to project a Deputy CM candidate representing a small voter base. “There was a tactical mistake… they declared a man from a 2 per cent voter base… while the community with 19 per cent voter base was completely neglected, and the results are visible,” he said. Meanwhile, the NDA maintained a strong lead in more than 180 of 243 seats, with the BJP positioned to secure its highest-ever tally in Bihar. The trends pointed to a decisive voter shift, reinforcing pro-incumbency and consolidating support for the Nitish Kumar-led alliance as counting continued.