Bihar Polls: Ajit Pawar’s NCP Faces Humiliating Defeat, 13 of 15 Candidates Lose Deposits

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Mumbai: In the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) suffered a severe setback after contesting separately from the NDA. Out of 15 candidates fielded by the NCP, 13 lost their deposits, reflecting the party’s dismal performance in the state. Overall, the party managed to secure only around 0.02% of the votes, making it difficult for NCP to retain its national party status.

Several NCP candidates failed to even cross the 1,000-vote mark. For instance, Ashutosh Singh in Sasaram received only 212 votes, while NOTA secured 369 votes. Jay Prakash in Nautan managed just 186 votes, Saif Ali Khan in Manihari received 2,057 votes, Bipin Singh in Parsa got 435 votes, Akhilesh Thakur in Mahua polled 643 votes, and Anil Singh in Raghopur managed 602 votes.

A Major Blow for Ajit Pawar
The NCP had hoped that contesting Bihar polls independently would help it regain national party status. However, the electorate’s response dashed these ambitions. On several constituencies, candidates fared extremely poorly, with some receiving fewer than 500 votes.

Maharashtra BJP Celebrates Bihar Win
Following the election results, BJP offices in Maharashtra, along with Shinde faction leaders, celebrated with drums, sweets, and festivities. Opposition parties termed the results shocking, whereas ruling party leaders hailed it as a victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Dr. Shrikant Shinde, parliamentary leader of Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), described Bihar’s mandate as a historic endorsement of public trust under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership. Maharashtra BJP President Ravindra Chavan said the people of Bihar rejected the opposition coalition, dismissing allegations of vote manipulation as baseless. Meanwhile, Sunil Tatkare, Maharashtra NCP President (Ajit Pawar faction), stated that Bihar voters chose the path of development and gave a fitting reply to false narratives.

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