Keeping the promises

Bihar voters have expressed their preference unambiguously

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The verdict on the Bihar Assembly elections can be interpreted in different ways, but a few things are undisputed.

The over two-thirds majority for the incumbent National Democratic Alliance (NDA) propelled the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to become the single-largest party in the state legislature for the first time, seen as a significant step in its march towards the east. Further, with a thumping victory in Bihar after winning Haryana, Maharashtra, and Delhi, the BJP and the NDA have certainly overcome the setback of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in terms of public perception. In the Lok Sabha elections, the NDA had won fewer seats than anticipated and the BJP, for the first time since 2014, had fallen short of the majority mark on its own. A clear verdict and the political security of the ruling party or alliance help ensure a stable government that can focus on governance. Now that voters in Bihar — the poorest state in the country — have expressed their preference unambiguously, the incoming government has to get down to work from day one.