Why RJD Lost Bihar — And Why They Still Don’t Understand It

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From sold tickets to incendiary Bhojpuri songs, and a strategic blindness that cost them dearly, RJD is now discovering the truth every smart strategist learns early: wisdom comes before the fall, not after it.

By RAJESHWAR JAISWAL

Patna, November 24, 2025 — In politics, defeat is supposed to bring clarity. Parties sit together, review mistakes, and confront uncomfortable truths. But in Bihar, the strangest review is underway: RJD is asking why it lost—as if the voters had not been hinting, shouting, and finally screaming the answer for years.

Let’s begin with the obvious. RJD didn’t lose mildly; it lost badly. And the steepest fall was RJD’s own—seats slipping not by error but by arrogance, misreading of mood, and a complete collapse of strategic consciousness.

Ticket Selling: The Rot Nobody Wanted to Admit

Ask any ordinary voter in Bihar, and the charges were loud and clear: “Tickets beche gaye.” Not just RJD—VIP, several smaller parties, everyone faced similar accusations. But RJD paid the heaviest price because the anger was already simmering.

When people believe your party sells tickets like commodities, they stop believing you represent them.

This wasn’t a late discovery. This wasn’t hidden. The leaders simply refused to see it.

But the Biggest Blow Came From the Bhojpuri Songs

If one wants to understand this election, forget manifestos. Listen to the songs.

A wave of hyper-aggressive Bhojpuri songs—mostly targeting RJD, sometimes invoking caste pride in distorted ways—flooded Bihar’s public spaces. These songs weren’t about bravery or history; they were about mock heroism: “छह गोली से सिक्सर ठोक देंगे…”
“सीने में अहिरान…(will strike sixer with six bullets, in Heart Ahiraan)”

Not about Rejang La. Not about soldierly sacrifice. But about chest-thumping machismo calibrated for maximum provocation. These songs projected a world Bihar left behind decades ago—yet they made it seem freshly alive to young voters.

And the NDA workers? They laughed, joked, shared it at crossroads. They knew it was political gold.

The ruling side didn’t need to counter the songs—they simply let them hang in the air, sure that the youth consuming them would drift away from RJD’s narrative.

RJD’s Reaction: Too Late, Too Blind

Only after losing did RJD wake up and send legal notices to around 30 of these singers, including TunTun Yadav.
As if these singers were party functionaries. As if this was a discipline issue. As if the damage hadn’t already been done months earlier.

A wise strategist anticipates danger before tripping over it. RJD, however, discovered its “wisdom” only after falling flat.

The Prime Minister’s Strategic Reading Was Sharper

When PM Narendra Modi referred to that viral Bhojpuri line—without singing, merely quoting—it wasn’t literature. It was political signaling. He was warning voters: “If this group comes to power, this is the culture that will dominate.”

Opponents mocked him, but voters understood the subtext. While RJD celebrated the “reach” of these songs, the rival camp weaponized them.

Sometimes the most effective campaign is the one your opponent unknowingly runs against himself.

The Fundamental Failure: No One to Warn the Leadership

This defeat wasn’t crafted by voters—it was crafted by RJD’s own ecosystem.

All around them, people were pointing out the danger:

The mockery in public spaces
The impact on caste dynamics
The character assassination hidden in songs
The slow erosion of RJD’s dignity
The strategic hijacking of their image

But the party was too convinced of its popularity, too intoxicated with narrative-building, to look down at the stones in its path.

As the old saying goes:
दुख से बुद्धि बढ़ती है — पर बुद्धिमान वो है जो दुख आने से पहले जाग जाता है। (Sorrow deepens wisdom, but wise is one who wakes up before the sorrow strikes)

RJD chose to stay asleep.

The Lessons, If They Choose to Learn Them

If RJD wants to fight the next election with seriousness, not sentiment, here are the bare truths:

Keep intelligent people in your strategy rooms—
not ticket-sellers and self-appointed caste warriors.
Monitor the cultural and digital landscape—
songs, memes, YouTube channels, everything. Elections are fought there now.
Defend your party image before it becomes a joke—
not after the mockery has shaped voter psychology.
Don’t let others harvest the crop you sow—
especially when they use your own name to do it.
And finally, wake up early—
not after the fall, because lawsuits after defeat change nothing.

Lessons for a Party That Learned Too Late

RJD must decide what it wants to be: A party that reacts after every defeat, or one that anticipates and prevents losses.

The voter has spoken. Loudly.
What remains to be seen is whether RJD has finally opened its eyes—or whether Bihar’s next election will simply repeat this tragic comedy.

(This is an opinion piece, and views expressed are those of the author only)

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