Political equations in Bihar are constantly changing. Ally parties of major alliances like NDA and Mahagathbandhan have also shifted loyalties, redefining their equations. Meanwhile, a third alliance formed in 2020 with six parties has become completely isolated.
Patna: The political landscape of Bihar has seen a significant transformation in the last five years. The six parties of the third alliance, named the Grand Democratic Secular Front (GDSF) and formed in 2020, have either virtually dissolved or merged with other parties. These include parties like the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). Their current standing is so weak that many parties are not even being discussed, while some have ceased to exist.
Third Front Formed in 2020
During the 2020 assembly elections, the Grand Democratic Secular Front was formed by breaking away from the NDA and Mahagathbandhan. It comprised a total of six parties, and their candidates contested from 238 out of the 243 seats. The Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, which contested the most seats with 104, no longer exists as it merged with the Janata Dal United (JDU).
Its founder, Upendra Kushwaha, later formed a new party named Rashtriya Lok Morcha and is now with the NDA. Despite this, the RLSP had no impact and failed to win a single seat.
Status of Other Parties
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) fielded candidates from 80 seats but managed to win only the Chainpur seat. Its MLA, Jama Khan, later joined the JDU and is currently the Minister for Minority Welfare in the state. The BSP is planning to contest all 243 seats this time, but its influence remains limited.
AIMIM fielded 19 candidates in 2020, of which 5 were successful. However, later four of its MLAs joined the RJD. Currently, AIMIM's electoral strategy is unclear, and its alliance proposal with the RJD remains uncertain. The Samajwadi Janata Dal Democratic, led by Devendra Prasad Yadav, contested 25 seats but did not win any. Later, he merged his party with the RJD, but he has now separated and is preparing for the upcoming elections independently.
The other two constituent parties of the alliance, Sahebaldev Bhartiya Samaj Party and Janvadi Party Samajwadi, had success in five seats each, but their activism in the preparations for the 2025 assembly elections appears to be very low.
Decline in Vote Percentage
The weakening political hold of these parties can also be gauged from their vote percentages. In 2020, the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, BSP, and AIMIM collectively received only 4.5 percent of the votes. The distribution of their votes was as follows:
- Rashtriya Lok Samata Party – 7,44,221 (1.77%)
- Bahujan Samaj Party – 6,28,961 (1.49%)
- AIMIM – 5,23,279 (1.24%)
The other two parties received negligible votes, making it clear that the third alliance has become ineffective in electoral politics. The gradual dissolution of the Grand Democratic Secular Front signals polarization in Bihar's politics.
