The Bihar election setback became a major topic inside the Congress party after its poor performance. The Bihar election setback pushed the leadership to review every reason behind the defeat. Senior leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and K.C. Venugopal, met nearly 70 candidates and MPs to understand what went wrong.
Many leaders said the party focused too much on issues like SIR and “vote theft” instead of speaking on local problems such as inflation, corruption and migration. KC Venugopal also claimed that the election result was managed and fabricated, and he said EVMs and SIR were misused.
Some members blamed the alliance with the RJD, saying it helped in some seats but created polarization in others. Others said AIMIM split minority votes, especially in Seemanchal.
Local workers pointed out that women voters received direct financial benefits from the government, which increased support for the ruling side. Complaints about booth manipulation, influence of Jeevika Didis and vote buying were also raised in the meetings.
Another section highlighted caste census issues. They argued that upper-caste candidates won far above their population share, while large OBC groups won only in proportion to their numbers.
