The outcome of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections has exposed sharp internal divisions within the Grand Alliance, with coalition partners RJD and Congress now openly blaming each other for the electoral setback.
The tensions intensified following a Congress review meeting in Delhi, where the party reportedly held the RJD responsible for the defeat. The rift became more pronounced on Saturday when RJD state president Mangani Lal Mandal publicly questioned the Congress&rsquo;s standing within the alliance.
Mandal claimed that Congress secured seats and votes largely due to RJD&rsquo;s support. &ldquo;If Congress wants to take a different political path, it is free to do so. It will then realise its actual strength,&rdquo; he said. Referring to the 2020 Assembly elections, he recalled that Congress had contested 70 seats and won 19, which he claimed was only possible because of the RJD&rsquo;s backing.
His remarks fuelled speculation about a possible breakdown of the alliance.
Congress leaders responded sharply, rejecting Mandal&rsquo;s assertions. A senior Congress leader questioned the logic of keeping Congress in the alliance if it was considered weak, and said internal grievances should have been raised with Tejashwi Yadav, chairman of the Grand Alliance coordination committee, rather than aired publicly.
In the 2025 Assembly elections, Congress contested 61 seats but managed to win only six. The party also faced several &ldquo;friendly contests&rdquo; with alliance partners, which further dented its performance.
Amid the growing discord, the RJD convened a meeting of its MLAs at Tejashwi Yadav&rsquo;s residence on Saturday evening. The meeting is expected to focus on shaping the opposition&rsquo;s strategy for the upcoming legislative session.
With disagreements now playing out in the open, political observers are closely watching whether the RJD&ndash;Congress partnership is heading towards a split, a move that could significantly reshape Bihar&rsquo;s political landscape. [Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed.]

Bihar polls deepen cracks in Grand Alliance

Post-verdict blame game erupts as RJD questions Congress role after Bihar Assembly loss

Bihar polls deepen cracks in Grand Alliance

Post-verdict blame game erupts as RJD questions Congress role after Bihar Assembly loss

November 29, 2025 | 19:18 IST