'Ups and downs inevitable': RJD's first reaction after Bihar defeat; calls itself 'party of poor'

NEW DELHI: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), reacting for the first time to its major setback in the Bihar assembly election results, said on Saturday that it is not "despondent" despite suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of the ruling NDA, which secured a landslide victory with 202 seats.In a post from its official handle on X, the party framed the results as part of the natural "ups and downs" of public life. The message, originally written in Hindi, loosely translates to: "Public service is an unceasing process, an endless journey. Ups and downs are inevitable. There is no despondency in defeat, and no arrogance in victory. The Rashtriya Janata Dal is a party of the poor and will continue to raise their voice.

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The RJD, which was the largest party in the Mahagathbandhan, saw its tally collapse from 75 to just 25 seats -- one of its most disappointing performances since 2010. The dramatic slide, which resulted in the loss of over 100 seats to NDA allies, came despite the coalition uniting behind Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial face.Overall, the Mahagathbandhan vote share and seat count fell sharply, ending below the 40-seat mark and far from government formation. In contrast, the BJP emerged as the strongest performer within the NDA, winning 89 seats — its highest-ever tally in Bihar. The JD(U), led by Nitish Kumar, secured 85 seats, while Chirag Paswan’s LJP (RV) posted an impressive strike rate by winning 19 of the 29 seats it contested. HAM won 5 seats and Upendra Kushwaha’s party claimed 4.