The Bihar political setback grew sharper as Santosh Kushwaha and Bima Bharti suffered major defeats in Purnia. This Bihar political setback is significant because both leaders had earlier lost to Pappu Yadav in the Lok Sabha polls. Despite his open support, the grand alliance failed in all seven seats of Purnia. The Bihar political setback worsened as NDA won five seats, while AIMIM secured two.
Santosh Kushwaha lost to JDU’s Leshi Singh in Dhamdaha by a big margin. Bima Bharti also faced a heavy defeat in Rupauli, with JDU’s Kaladhar Mandal winning by the largest margin in the state. Pappu Yadav campaigned hard for both candidates, but the strong influence of Nitish Kumar and Asaduddin Owaisi reshaped voter mood.
The Purnia Lok Sabha region has six assembly seats. Though Pappu Yadav led in four segments in 2024, Santosh Kushwaha switched from JDU to RJD and still lost by over 55,000 votes. Bima Bharti, a five-time MLA, lost for the third time. She even forfeited her deposit in the Lok Sabha election.
Both leaders now represent the biggest losses in this election cycle.
