3 hours ago
Last Updated:November 15, 2025, 10:34 IST
The party lost Ramgarh to the BSP by 30 votes and Dhaka to the RJD by 178 votes. Had these contests gone its way, the BJP’s tally would have risen to 92 seats
PM Modi arrives at BJP headquarters after the Bihar mandate. Image/ANI
The BJP’s victory in Bihar could have been historic, had the party managed to win just two more seats—a gap of only 208 votes.
The party lost Ramgarh to the BSP by 30 votes and Dhaka to the RJD by 178 votes. Had these contests gone its way, the BJP’s tally would have risen to 92 seats, its best-ever performance in a Bihar assembly election. The record was missed by just two seats in 2025.
As it stands, the BJP has won 89 seats in the results declared for the Bihar assembly polls on Friday. The BJP registered its best performance in Bihar in 2010 when it secured 91 seats.
Beyond Dhaka and Ramgarh, the BJP came close in a handful of other constituencies as well. It lost Forbesganj by 221 votes and Chanpatia by 602 votes, even as it won Agiaon by just 95 votes and Taraiya by 1,329 votes. The narrowest victory in the entire state came in Sandesh, where JD(U)—an NDA ally—won by just 27 votes. The 2025 Bihar election was, in many seats, a battle of mere handful of votes.
In three assembly seats in Bihar, the victory margin was less than 100 votes—Agiaon where BJP won by just 95 votes; Ramgarh and Sandesh.
On at least 15 seats, the victory margin was above 50,000 votes and all of these were bagged by the NDA parties. Over half of these—eight—were bagged by the BJP.
The BJP won Digha by 59,079 votes, Aurai by 57,206 votes, Jhanjharpur by 54,849 votes, Jamui by 54,498 votes, Pirpainti by 53,107 votes, Bankipur by 51,936 votes, Bathnaha by 51,769 votes and Rosera by 50,533 votes.
Even as the BJP missed a new record in the 2025 elections, it still emerged as the biggest party in terms of seats won, even as the RJD secured the highest vote share at 23 per cent.
The trophy for the highest victory margin in Bihar elections went to the JDU. The party’s Kaladhar Prasad Mandal bagged the Rupauli Assembly by 73,572 votes defeating RJD’s Bima Bharti. Digha was the second-biggest victory margin.
It was an election of extremes—some seats decided by dozens of votes, others by tens of thousands. For the BJP, 208 votes stood between a strong result and a historic one.
Nivedita Singh is a data journalist and covers the Election Commission, Indian Railways and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. She has nearly seven years of experience in the news media. She tweets @nived...Read More
Nivedita Singh is a data journalist and covers the Election Commission, Indian Railways and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. She has nearly seven years of experience in the news media. She tweets @nived...
Read More
First Published:
November 15, 2025, 10:34 IST
News elections How 208 More Votes Could Have Given BJP Its Best-Ever Tally In Bihar
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Read More
