New Delhi: In the wake of the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) decisive victory in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a sharp attack on the Congress party, mocking it for its repeated electoral setbacks. Addressing party workers and supporters at the BJP’s Delhi headquarters, Modi accused the Indian National Congress (INC) of functioning as a “Muslim league-Maowadi” party, a comment aimed at highlighting what he described as the party’s alignment with extremist elements.

The NDA, led by Janata Dal (United) and the Bharatiya Janata Party, comfortably crossed the majority mark of 122 seats in Bihar’s 243-member assembly. With this win, the alliance is set to form the next government in the state, consolidating the BJP and JD(U)’s political dominance.

PM Modi’s remarks came as a commentary not just on the Bihar results, but on a broader pattern of poor performances by the Congress in state elections. “Total MLAs of Congress elected in the last six elections is less than our MLAs elected today itself,” Modi said, emphasizing the party’s dwindling influence. He underscored the growing realization among Congress allies that the party’s “negative politics” is now a liability. “Even the Congress allies are beginning to understand that the Congress is drowning everyone in its negative politics. That is why, during the Bihar elections, I said that the ‘naamdar’ of the Congress is practising to drown himself and others in the Bihar elections by taking a dip in the pond,” Modi added, in reference to the party’s failures.

The Congress’s electoral record in recent years has been notably poor. In the last five assembly elections held in Delhi, Maharashtra, Odisha, Haryana, and Arunachal Pradesh, the party failed to secure power, often losing badly even within alliance frameworks. Bihar’s 2025 results marked a further setback. The Congress managed only six leads, winning just three seats, a dramatic fall from the 19 seats it had won in the 2020 Bihar elections as part of the Mahagathbandhan alliance with RJD.

The prime minister’s remarks also implicitly highlighted the NDA’s consolidation of support across social and caste groups in Bihar, including the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), Mahadalits, and non-Yadav OBCs, who largely stayed loyal to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U)-BJP alliance. This solid backing, coupled with widespread dissatisfaction with Congress leadership and its local strategies, contributed significantly to the NDA’s landslide victory.

Political analysts note that Modi’s comments reflect a broader BJP strategy to paint the Congress as disconnected from voter concerns and reliant on identity politics. By labeling the Congress as sympathetic to both Islamist and Maoist ideologies, Modi sought to question its political credibility and contrast it with the NDA’s governance record.

The Bihar election outcome and Modi’s reaction underline the growing chasm between the Congress and the electorate in key states. While the party attempts to regain relevance, the NDA has successfully portrayed itself as a more stable and development-focused alternative, translating its governance narrative into electoral gains.

With the NDA’s victory, the BJP and JD(U) are poised to continue their governance model in Bihar, further marginalizing the Congress in state politics and reinforcing the perception of its declining influence on the national political stage.