Bihar Elections 2025: The Congress party suffered a major setback in the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025. The party’s plight has raised a serious question: what will happen to the Grand Alliance (MGB)? The poor strike rate by the ‘Grand Old Party’ has raised questions about alliances in states where elections are due in the coming months.
The Bihar Election 2025 result could have repercussions in neighboring West Bengal and the southern state of Tamil Nadu, where the Congress party desperately needs a strong alliance. There is growing speculation that alliance partners in Bengal and Tamil Nadu may be overlooked after the Rahul Gandhi-led party’s performance in Bihar.
Congress’s disastrous fate in Bihar
The Bihar election results have raised questions about the Congress’s presence in the state. The party won only six seats, despite fielding candidates in 61. Consequently, the party won only one out of every ten seats. This time, its vote share was 8.71 percent, compared to 9.6 percent in the previous election. However, at that time, the party fielded candidates in 70 seats and won 19. Prior to that, in 2015, the party had won 15 seats.
For the past few decades, Bihar has been a politically challenging time for the Congress. The party no longer has a strong social base in the state, and its poor performance is believed to be the main reason behind this. Consequently, allies are now wondering how beneficial an alliance with the Congress will be in the upcoming elections. This time, a lack of coordination and trust between the major parties in the Grand Alliance in Bihar, such as the Congress and the RJD, was evident.
Whispers about an alliance in Bengal
The results of the Grand Alliance in Bihar are no less than a warning, and the Congress’s performance has also alerted allies. The Congress’s position in states like West Bengal and Tamil Nadu is no secret. The party is at the bottom in these states as well.
Tension between the Trinamool Congress and the Congress has been witnessed before in Bengal. Mamata Banerjee has openly opposed the Congress on numerous occasions and issues. The TMC already has a strong hold in Bengal, and if the Congress, without learning from the current situation, shows negligence in Bengal as well, the alliance parties may ignore it.
TMC did not give importance to the Congress in the last election
During the 2021 assembly elections, the same question arose about whether the TMC and Congress would form an alliance, but Mamata Banerjee distanced herself from it. Later, the Congress, the Left, and the ISF contested the elections together, and the TMC took the lead alone. The result was that the TMC won, and the Congress was wiped out, winning only two seats. The question then arises: will Mamata Banerjee’s party, the TMC, give importance to the Congress?
Also Read: How NDA won Bihar Elections 2025
Why is there suspense regarding the alliance in Tamil Nadu?
Indeed, the trend of Congress’s past performances is becoming dangerous for the party: in states where it contested elections in alliance with regional parties, it has suffered losses. In 2017, the Congress contested the Uttar Pradesh elections in alliance with the Samajwadi Party and won only 7 out of 114 seats. Similarly, the results of the recent Maharashtra and Haryana elections bear this out.
In Tamil Nadu, the Congress is also in a precarious position and desperately needs the support of a party like the DMK. However, reports of discord between the two parties have surfaced over the past few months. Several Congress leaders are joining the DMK, causing resentment within the party. Recently, the Karur District Women’s Wing leader of the Congress and the Virudhunagar District Youth Congress Vice President expressed more trust in the DMK than in the Congress.
In Tamil Nadu, heated exchanges between Congress and DMK leaders have also emerged.
In addition, past statements by DMK and Congress leaders have also become a source of concern for the party. Furthermore, due to PMK founder Ramadoss’s inclination towards the DMK alliance, the Congress fears that it may win fewer seats. This fear could pose a serious challenge for the Congress. Meanwhile, given the recent results in Bihar, the DMK may consider adopting a different strategy.
In 2016, Congress contested 40 seats here and won only 8, with a strike rate of 19.51%. In 2021, Congress contested only 25 seats, winning 18 of them.
