Nail-Biting Finishes in Bihar: Seats Won by the Smallest Margins of 27, 95 and Less

Bihar: While the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won a thumping majority in the Bihar Assembly elections of 2025, the results on some assembly seats were decided by a margin of just tens or hundreds of votes. For example, the Janata Dal (United) (JDU) candidate won the Sandesh seat in Bhojpur district by just 27 votes. The margin of victory on the Agiaon seat was 95 votes. Apart from this, the margin of victory in seats like Bodhgaya, Chanpatia, and Bakhtiyarpur was also around 600-900 votes. 

Why did it happen that victories were recorded by such small margins?

The decisive participation of electoral voters, the importance of local issues, and the weaknesses of the coalition strategy became the reasons for these close contests. Small seat-specific battles are an indication that despite political stability in the state, voter decisions in some places remain highly individual and locally influenced.

Do these close contests weaken the NDA's overall victory?

Although the NDA won about 202 seats, these close results made it clear that this majority was not easily achieved in every seat. The close contests indicate that the opposition still held some regional base, but overall the NDA wave left him behind.

What message do these close victories give to the opposition?

These contests also send a message that the opposition coalition needs to improve organization, candidate selection, and issue identification at the local level. Where victory was decided by major or minor, better preparation and strategy could have changed the outcome. The opposition has a direction that the fight is not won only by a big face and big statements but is possible through an organized fight at the booth level.

What could be the benefit of these close contests going forward?

These figures are important for future politics. In the next assembly and Lok Sabha elections, voter movement, candidate selection, and the strength of local issues can be decisive in these seats. Political parties in near-win states or districts will have to re-look at their strategy because from here these models may become not party-models but local models.