A House Divided: Congress’s Bihar Shock and the Unrest Within

Paromita Das

New Delhi, 19th  November: The 2025 Bihar Assembly election didn’t just slip out of Congress’s hands — it crumbled in a way that shook even the party’s most seasoned loyalists. There are defeats, and then there are reality checks that arrive like a slap. Bihar chose the second. What unfolded wasn’t a routine loss; it was the moment the party’s long-ignored truths came roaring to the surface.

Congress went into the election with hope, nostalgia, and a belief that its legacy would still hold value. But Bihar’s voters delivered a reminder that politics doesn’t reward comfort. Winning only six seats wasn’t just a numerical failure — it was a symbolic one, a verdict that said the party had stopped listening to the world outside its conference rooms.

When Silence Finally Broke: Leaders Spoke with an Honesty Rare in Today’s Congress

Perhaps for the first time in years, the mask slipped inside the party. The most unexpected voice was that of Mani Shankar Aiyar. Known for his sharp intellect and his equally sharp restraint, Aiyar spoke not like a politician but like a man wounded by his own family. He admitted he had been pushed aside, treated like an unwanted elder rather than a pillar of the party’s history.

This was not political theatre. His words felt personal — almost like a diary entry accidentally spoken into a microphone.

Shashi Tharoor’s reaction, though gentler, carried its own weight. Without bitterness, he pointed out that he wasn’t even included in the Bihar campaign — not out of neglect, but because the party didn’t think it needed him. He didn’t complain. But his tone made it clear that something in the party’s inner machinery had rusted: strategy, communication, and above all, trust.

Beyond the Ballot: Bihar Forced Congress to Confront the Truth It Kept Dodging

Bihar’s voters didn’t simply reject Congress; they rejected the version of Congress that refuses to evolve. The party’s campaign felt scattered, its messaging dated, its chemistry with voters absent. Bihar is a state where people read between the lines, and this time, they saw a party unsure of what it stood for or what it wanted to become.

The defeat stripped away the comfort of old excuses. It showed that alliances alone don’t win elections, and legacy cannot carry the weight of contemporary politics. Congress didn’t lose because the people forgot it — it lost because the party forgot to stay present.

Cracks in the Grand Old Party: A Moment of Reckoning That Can’t Be Postponed

What Bihar laid bare was a disconnect between those at the top and those carrying the party’s weight in districts and mandals. Many local leaders confessed, quietly but clearly, that they felt abandoned in the campaign. Some said they had no guidance. Others admitted they had no direction. A party that once thrived on debate and ideas now struggles to spark either.

The Bihar defeat was not just a loss on paper — it was the emotional breaking point. It brought together the frustration of old leaders, the impatience of younger ones, and the hopelessness of ground workers who had been fighting without a map.

A Party in Conflict Cannot Inspire Confidence Outside It

The painful truth is that Congress’s greatest struggle today is not with its opponents, but with itself. The Bihar defeat forced open doors the party had kept shut for years. And maybe that’s the silver lining. For the first time in a long time, leaders spoke from the heart and not from the script. They expressed hurt, disappointment, and a need for change.

If the Congress actually listens — not for optics, but for survival — this moment could be its turning point.

Bharat does not reject parties forever. Bharat rejects arrogance, stagnation, and distance. Congress still has emotional equity in many pockets of the country. But it cannot afford to treat voters like they owe it something. Politics today rewards hunger, energy, and connection — qualities that cannot be faked.

Bihar Was Not an Ending — It Was a Warning Signal

Bihar didn’t kill Congress’s future. But it warned the party that the future will not wait for it. The verdict was a message written in bold: evolve or disappear. The internal voices growing louder after the defeat aren’t signs of collapse; they’re signs of life.

A party that still has people willing to speak uncomfortable truths still has a chance to rebuild. But this time, it must rebuild without denial, without delay, and without repeating old patterns.

Bihar was not just an election. It was a mirror — and Congress can no longer look away.