Mahagathbandhan Defeats Itself; Post-Election Review a Mere Facade

Patna: In the aftermath of Bihar’s assembly elections, the post-mortem meetings held separately by the RJD and Congress raise a crucial question: What is the point of these reviews when the real losers were the alliance itself? The Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) was defeated not by the NDA, but by its own internal conflicts, arrogance, and stubbornness.

Friendly Fights That Turned Fatal
Both parties were fully aware of the stakes, yet they plunged into electoral battles with unyielding obstinacy. Fights over tickets and internal rivalries were left unresolved until the polls, resulting in pre-determined losses in at least 11 constituencies. In such a scenario, post-election review meetings seem nothing more than a timepass exercise. The focus, experts say, should have been introspection: “Look within before blaming others.”

Congress Review Highlights Organizational Gaps
To analyze its embarrassing performance, Congress held a meeting in Delhi, followed by district-level reviews in Patna. District leaders submitted reports identifying reasons for defeats. Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee president Rajesh Ram stated, “Our alliance with RJD is purely electoral, with no organizational basis. Post-elections, Congress is focusing on strengthening its own structure. There is no clarity yet on whether a joint opposition strategy will be formed.”

Who Defeated Whom?
In many seats, alliance partners defeated each other instead of the opposition:

• Vaishali: Congress’ Sanjeev Singh and RJD’s Ajay Kumar contested against each other, paving the way for JDU’s Siddharth Patel to win by over 32,000 votes.
• Rajapakar: CPI’s Mohit Paswan defeated Congress’ Pratima Kumari; JDU’s Mahendra Ram won.
• Kahalgawan: Congress’ Praveen Singh Kushwaha and RJD’s Rajnish Bharti split votes, allowing JDU’s Shubhanand Mukesh to triumph by over 50,000 votes.
• Chainpur: Mulesh Sahni’s insistence on fielding his candidate resulted in Congress and RJD losing, while JDU captured the seat.
• Bihar Sharif & Bachwara: CPI candidates defeated Congress nominees.
• Sikandra: Congress finished fifth, while internal alliance conflicts helped JDU secure the seat.

From Sultan Ganj to Karhgar, from Rajapakar to Bihar Sharif, internal rivalries between RJD, Congress, CPI, VIP, and IIP sapped their energies, leaving the NDA to reap the rewards.

A Review or an Excuse?
With the alliance exhausting its efforts in defeating its own members, the post-election meetings appear more about saving the egos of senior leaders than genuinely understanding electoral failures. As analysts put it, the Mahagathbandhan’s defeat was self-inflicted, and any “review” without honest introspection is merely a facade.