India: Bihar's National Implications

Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar secured a major victory in Nov. 22 Bihar state elections for India's leading opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA), a national coalition headed by India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. Caste-based politics overshadowed Hindu-nationalist rhetoric in the polls, causing the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) — a national coalition headed by India's ruling Indian National Congress party — to lose the second-most-populous Indian state to the opposition NDA. The UPA's loss of Bihar to the NDA threatens the stability of India's ruling coalition and spells out a growing need for the Congress party to rebuild support among India's Muslim voting bloc.