Bihar Elections Fiery speeches, relentless campaigning and youth appeal, none of which helped Tejashwi’s branding

Be it the 2024 Lok Sabha elections or the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)’s Tejashwi Yadav continues to dominate the campaign scenario.

Just like in 2024, he addressed rallies one after the other day after day. His attacks on the central and state governments were sharp and he emerged as the undisputed voice of the opposition.

From his job promises to his social-media game, he remained extremely popular among young voters, especially within the RJD’s youth voter base.

But none of this translated into votes, neither for his party nor for him. Bihar’s mandate is decisive and RJD has performed poorly.

Explaining why brand Tejashwi failed, senior journalist Ninad Seth told CNBC-TV18, “Secularization of Yadav votes played a big role here, which Tejashwi did not expect. Moreover, the memories of ‘Gunda Raj’ are so deeply ingrained in people’s minds that Tejashwi could not erase them with all his rallies and speeches. This is a warning to the RJD and Tejashwi.”

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Experts say the same family and party legacy that established him as a star politician is now dragging him down.

Despite aggressive campaigning, Tejashwi has failed to change the image of the party. They say that some decisions like promoting leaders like Sanjay Yadav over local RJD leaders have further harmed his prospects.

Nitish Kumar’s image as a development-oriented leader, his popularity among women voters and various welfare schemes also ensured that Tejashwi could not garner votes. NDA’s Chief Minister Employment Scheme overshadowed Tejashwi’s job promise.

RJD and other opposition parties are blaming the Special Intensive Review (SIR) exercise of the Election Commission for this.

Confident of Tejashwi’s victory, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav posted on Twitter, “The game played in Bihar will not be possible in UP, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and elsewhere as this election conspiracy has now been exposed. From now on, we will not let them play this game. BJP is not a party, it is fraud.”

But experts insist that the message of these elections is clear: it is an alarm bell for RJD and Tejashwi Yadav.

Watch our live updates on Bihar election result 2025