The Indian National Congress is facing a severe electoral setback in Bihar, trailing in five constituencies and winning only one seat so far, even as counting nears completion. The party’s performance has fallen below that of the AIMIM, which has already secured four seats and is leading in one more—despite contesting far fewer constituencies.
As per the latest Election Commission data, Congress is trailing in:
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Valmiki Nagar (Surendra Prasad, margin 1,625)
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Chanpatia (Abhishek Ranjan, margin 495)
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Forbesganj (Manoj Bishwas, margin 221)
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Araria (Abidur Rahman, margin 10,697)
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Manihari (Manohar Prasad Singh, margin 18,460)
The party has managed to win only Kishanganj, where Md. Qamrul Hoda secured victory with a margin of 12,794 votes.
Congress’s weak performance comes despite Rahul Gandhi’s high-profile Vote Adhikar Yatra, a 25-district march covering 110 assembly segments from Sasaram to Patna. The campaign accused the Election Commission of excluding 1.5 crore voters—mainly poor and Muslim—under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
While the Yatra initially generated enthusiasm, it failed to sustain momentum. Ironically, Congress is trailing in every seat along the Yatra route. Party insiders say Rahul Gandhi’s extended absence from the campaign in September–October, reportedly over dissatisfaction with ticket distribution favouring RJD loyalists, further hurt morale and ground mobilisation.
In contrast, the AIMIM has delivered an impressive performance in the Seemanchal region. The party has won four seats—Jokihat, Bahadurganj, Kochadhaman and Amour—and is leading in Baisi. Its concentrated focus on Muslim-majority belts and strong local leadership appears to have paid off.
With Congress slipping below even the AIMIM in several key regions, the results underline a deepening crisis for the party’s structure, strategy and leadership in Bihar—raising urgent questions about its role within the Mahagathbandhan and its future in the state’s political landscape.