Patna: The Congress party’s relevance in Bihar politics has steadily diminished over the past decade, with the latest assembly election results underscoring its ongoing decline. Once a dominant force in the state, the party is now widely perceived as ineffective, its organisational structure weakened and its electoral base shrinking.
Although Congress has seen occasional fluctuations in vote share, this has not translated into meaningful gains. The 2015, 2020 and 2025 assembly elections illustrate the trend clearly: slight shifts in voter support, but a consistent fall in the number of seats won.
In 2015, contesting as part of the Grand Alliance, Congress secured 6.7% of the vote and won 27 of the 41 seats it contested — its strongest showing in more than a decade. The alliance’s seat-sharing arrangement was seen as having worked in its favour.
Five years later, the party improved its vote share to 9.48%, yet failed to convert this into victories. Despite being allotted 70 seats, Congress won only 19 in the 2020 polls — a setback that prompted internal concerns about strategy and leadership.
The 2025 elections have further deepened those anxieties. The party’s vote share dipped slightly to 8.71%, and of the 61 candidates fielded, just six managed to win. This, despite a high-profile campaign featuring senior leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Analysts say the results reflect not only poor electoral performance but also underlying organisational fragility and the inability to rebuild a once-loyal support base. While regional players such as the Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal have grappled with shifts in their traditional social coalitions, Congress has faced an even steeper challenge in reconnecting with voters.
