Bihar Election 2025: In Bihar’s fragmented political landscape, election victories are often dominated by razor-thin margins, where smaller parties act as the electoral pivots. Case in point: If alliances remain united, parties like HAM and VIP can strengthen the NDA’s support among different caste groups, whereas CPI(ML) on the other hand, can enhance the Mahagathbandhan’s appeal in rural and left-leaning areas. But if disagreements over seat-sharing continues, these parties could become unhappy leading to split votes, potentially changing the entire outcome.
For example, with JMM’s exit from the Mahagathbandhan, tribal votes for the Grand Alliance are already facing risk. The party’s withdrawal has not only exposed the deep divide in the Grand Alliance but also put them in jeopardy with this section of voters. Thus, wholistically speaking, these smaller parties can either turn into Kingmakers or become the spoilsports in the upcoming Bihar Assembly Elections 2025.
Hindustani Awami Morcha: Strong back-up from the Dalit community
Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM is contesting under the NDA and has been allotted six seats under the alliance’s seat-sharing formula. While Manjhi himself will be contesting from Gaya, his daughter-in-law Deepa Kumari will be contesting from Imamganj and her mother Jyoti Devi will be fighting from Barachatti. While this did invite criticism over dyanasty politics, Manjhi pulled the spotlight claiming that due to fewer allotment of seats, the morale of party workers was down. However, he added, “for the pride and honour of Biharis… the NDA will triumph, and Bihar’s honour will endure.”
HAM has strong support from the Musahar community, one of the key Dalit groups in Bihar. The Musahars are mainly residing in the Magadh region. Manjhi himself belongs to this community, which gives the party credibility and influence among Dalit voters there.
The major Dalit castes, namely Dusadh, Ravidas, Musahar, Pasi, Dhobi, and Bhuiyan, together represent quite a significant vote share. As part of the NDA alliance, HAM’s main goal is to bring in these Dalit votes together.
What happened in 2020?
In 2020, HAM won four seats and later helped Nitish Kumar stabilise his government when the NDA’s majority was slim. However, now that trhe internal dissatisfaction over the limited seat share in 2025 has been exposed, it might threaten a cohesion within the coalition. Thus, HAM might be both a stabiliser and a potential spoiler if its leadership feels neglected.
Rashtriya Lok Morcha: Heavy reliance on Non-Yadav OBC community
Former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM), an NDA ally with six seats, is relying heavily on the support of the non-Yadav OBC community, especially the Kushwaha voters.
Kushwaha said that the seat-sharing discussions within the NDA had been settled through mutual understanding, presenting a united front for the coalition. His wife, Snehlata, has been nominated from the Sasaram constituency, a move the party’s spokesperson Ram Pukar Sinha defended as one that reflects the strong public backing for her candidacy.
Even though Kushwaha faced defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Karakat, a loss that many attribute to BJP rebel Pawan Singh’s independent campaign, he continues to hold influence among Bihar’s non-Yadav OBC voters. The NDA, aware of his reach in this group, is eager to keep that support intact ahead of the state polls.
What happened in 2020?
In the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, Kushwaha’s RLM was part of the Mahagathbandhan. The party then was hopeful of gathering votes of certain OBC communities, especially the Kushwahas and other non-Yadav OBC groups. Although RLM contested around 10 seats, it failed to win in any of them. Still, RLM managed to contribute to overall vote share of the alliance, particularly in parts of central Bihar.
RLM’s partnership with the Mahagathbandhan was viewed as a strategy to unite fragmented OBC votes that would compliment RJD’s traditional Yadav support base. However, internal challenges like disagreements over seat-sharing and weak ground presence prevented the alliance from turning vote percentages into actual seat victories. RLM’s earlier decision to leave the NDA before the 2020 polls had also shaken the NDA’s OBC base, which then helped Mahagathbandhan to perform strongly in first voting phase where it won 48 out of 71 seats.
After the 2020 elections, RLM chose to return to the NDA fold, which was seen as a strategic step to strengthen its position ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly polls.
Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) – EBC focussed group
Mukesh Sahni-led VIP has fielded 11 candidates in the upcoming Bihar Election 2025, mostly across Mithilanchal region, as Sahni is trying to rebuild his political standing after a rough 2020. His party focuses on the large Extremely Backward Class (EBC) community in Bihar.
What happened in 2020?
In the 2020 elections, VIP had won three seats, but all its MLAs later joined the BJP, weakening the party. However this time, Sahni has openly said that he aims to become the deputy chief minister if the NDA forms the government again. The EBC community, being the largest social group in the state, continues to be a key focus for both the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan.
Mithilanchal, where the BJP and JD(U) had won all seven Lok Sabha seats in 2024, is once again expected to be a major electoral battleground. VIP’s performance here could play a crucial role in shaping the Mahagathbandhan’s final results in the region.
CPI(ML): Balancing alliance spirit with bigger ambitions
From the Opposition side, the CPI(ML)-Liberation is working to strengthen its role within the Mahagathbandhan by demanding a bigger share of seats after its strong performance in the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections. However, CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said the party decided to maintain unity in the alliance by agreeing to contest only 20 constituencies. CPI leader D Raja also said that their party has a long history and a strong base in Bihar, and therefore should get a fair number of seats in the coalition.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation, or CPI(ML), played a key role in the 2020 elections as part of the Mahagathbandhan alliance. The party contested 19 seats and won 12, becoming the fifth-largest party in the Bihar Legislative Assembly. It also gained enough votes to be officially recognised as a state party by the Election Commission.
Most of CPI(ML)’s victories came from areas like Bhojpur, Siwan, and Arrah, showing its strong connection with farmers, Dalits, and backward class communities.
Even though the Mahagathbandhan alliance lost to the NDA in 2020, CPI(ML) managed to grow its influence and voter base. Today, it stands as an important left-wing force in Bihar politics with solid support among the poor and working-class people.