The Bihar election resultThe Bihar Assembly election may be over but its conduct highlights a troubling trend: pre-poll cash transfers projected as welfare. If left unchecked, this will set a dangerous precedent. The Election Commission of India must consider a rule that prohibits governments from announcing or disbursing new welfare schemes within six months of an election, so that public money does not become an electoral instrument.In an analysis of the result, the fact is that the Opposition struggled to communicate effectively. Rahul Gandhi’s “vote theft” argument never reached the less-educated electorate with clarity. Prashant Kishor, despite his analytical strengths, must recognise that Indian voters trust a politician’s conviction more than a political scientist’s models. The Rashtriya Janata Dal, too, revealed internal disarray.Amid this, Chirag Paswan’s instinctive grasp of Bihar’s political pulse makes him the lifeblood of his constituency and a decisive force in the State’s electoral arithmetic. But the larger reality remains: Bihar continues to sit at the bottom of the Human Development Index even after two decades of Nitish Kumar. What Bihar needs now is politics that is anchored in long-term human development, and not last-minute giveaways or fragmented messaging.Harsh Pawaria,Rohtak, HaryanaThe thumping victory of the National Democratic Alliance highlights two things: Nitish Kumar is the real ‘tiger’ of Bihar and the BJP has an uncanny knack of using the ‘Modi factor’ to win elections, especially in the Hindi belt. On the other hand, the Congress’s abysmal show further weakens its position as a national party and reiterates the lack of political understanding and acumen of its leader Rahul Gandhi in forging winnable alliances and leading the INDIA bloc to victory. His fleeting visits before elections and jargon of ‘vote chori’ had zero impact as far as the common man was concerned. It is high time that the Congress’s leadership realises that winning elections requires long term and meticulous planning, better communication, and precise implementation. As Winston Churchill said, “Politics is not a game. It is an earnest business.”Dr. Biju C. Mathew,ThiruvananthapuramThe INDIA bloc — and more specifically the Indian National Congress — is losing because of a leadership that does not know how to win. The only dignified political course left for Rahul Gandhi is to yield to regional secular forces to defeat the communal agenda of the other national party.S. Padmanabhan,KochiPublished - November 17, 2025 12:24 am IST