Patna: The Bihar Assembly elections produced a massive victory for the NDA, sending 24 ministers straight back to the Assembly with strong winning margins. The return of so many ministers is being seen as proof that voters approved the state government’s performance and leadership. Leaders inside the alliance say this is one of the strongest waves seen in recent years, powered by a mix of development promises, caste equations and organisational strength.
But in the middle of this big celebration, one result stood apart. Sumit Kumar Singh, a minister in Nitish Kumar’s cabinet, lost the Chakai seat despite holding office. His defeat has surprised many because he was the only minister in the entire government to fail at the ballot box. Singh contested as an independent candidate, just as he had done successfully in 2020, when he won and later became a minister. Before that, he contested the 2010 election on a Jharkhand Mukti Morcha ticket and faced another defeat in 2015. This history of changing roles and political experiments now continues with a fresh setback.
Meanwhile, almost all of the alliance’s big names enjoyed easy victories. BJP leader Mangal Pandey won comfortably in his very first contest, signaling his rising influence inside the party. Both Deputy Chief Ministers — Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha — also registered significant victories. Samrat Chaudhary, who is currently a member of the Legislative Council, shifted to contest the Tarapur seat this time and continued his winning streak after previously being elected twice from Parbatta.
The results also confirmed that ministers across the BJP and JD(U) enjoy strong support at the grassroots level. All 15 BJP ministers secured wins. Senior leader Prem Kumar won from Gaya Town for the eighth time in a row, matching the incredible record of his JD(U) colleague Bijendra Yadav, who has now won from Supaul eight times as well. Every one of the 11 JD(U) ministers — including Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Shravan Kumar, Leshi Singh, Madan Sahni, Maheshwar Hazari, Sheela Kumari, Sunil Kumar, Jayant Raj, Mohammad Jamakhan and Ratnesh Sada — successfully returned to the Assembly.
Taken together, the results show a massive wave in favour of the NDA and Nitish Kumar’s government, with only one exception standing out. For the alliance, the overwhelming success strengthens its position in the Assembly and offers a boost to its political confidence. But for Sumit Kumar Singh, the only minister left behind in this storm of victories, the defeat now raises questions about his next political move — and whether he can rebuild the support he once enjoyed.
