Rs40,000 crore spent to defeat opposition in Bihar elections, says Tejashwi

Patna: RJD national working president and leader of opposition in the state assembly, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, said in the House on Thursday that it was “dhantantra (money power)” and “machine tantra (manipulation of EVMs and voters’ list)” that secured victory for the BJP-led NDA in the 2025 Bihar assembly elections. He also alleged that a staggering Rs 40,000 crore had been spent to seal the fate of the opposition.

“I would say that it was the ‘dhantantra’ and the ‘machine tantra’ that won in the Bihar assembly elections last year for the NDA,” Tejashwi said, adding, “Besides, as much as Rs 40,000 crore was distributed and spent during the polls. It was done to defeat us, but the losses suffered in the polls do not affect us, because we will be back.”


During Tejashwi’s intervention in his reply, CM Nitish Kumar said, “Nothing was done by your parents while they were in power. You just sit down. Your father and I belong to the same generation.” When some of the legislators of the RJD rose in their chairs, Nitish said, “You please take your seat. I know well that you all made money while sharing power with me, a reason why I chose to part ways. You also tried to wean away my MLAs.”

This was the first time since last year’s assembly elections — where NDA partners won 202 of the 243 seats while the RJD-led opposition combine secured 35 — that Tejashwi presented his perspective on the outcome on the floor of the House. He spoke during the debate on the governor’s address to the joint session of the state legislature on Tuesday.

Initially, Tejashwi spoke haltingly, drawing derisive reactions from the ruling benches. However, on his request, the Speaker allowed him to speak while seated due to severe pain caused by a toe injury in his left leg and the uprooting of its nail.

Once seated, Tejashwi launched a sharp attack on the NDA govt led by CM Nitish Kumar, stating that claims of “rule of law” had become hollow in view of the alarming rise in crime. He referred to cases including the rape and murder of a medical aspirant in Patna.

“Criminals and anti-social elements appear to have become free and the government has been failing to control them and their activities. An atmosphere of fear and intimidation prevails in the state,” Tejashwi said.

Acknowledging that the RJD had earlier been part of the grand alliance govt led by Nitish on two occasions, Tejashwi said much of the CM’s achievement on the employment front had taken place during that period.

“We will support the (present Nitish) govt if the work done by it is good, and we will be critical otherwise,” he said, adding that the chief minister, who has been leading the NDA govt since Jan 2024, had imitated and adopted several policy announcements that he had made during the pre-election campaign.

The JD(U) reacted sharply to Tejashwi’s allegations, saying he is crying hoarse after badly losing elections in Bihar. “RJD’s 25 seats in assembly elections highlight its real strength in Bihar and the past elections have confirmed this as well,” JD(U) spokesperson Arvind Nishad said. “It is the RJD’s habit of receiving money to allot party tickets to its candidates,” he alleged.