Mukesh Sahani's Electoral Defeat Despite Viral Campaign: How NDA Secured Bihar Victory Through Women-Focused Welfare Schemes

A clip of Mukesh Sahani jumping into a pond alongside Rahul Gandhi during campaigning in Bihar's Begusarai gained significant traction on the internet, becoming what is commonly described as "viral."

However, on Bihar's election result day, this viral moment failed to translate into electoral success. The Mahagathbandhan alliance, which had positioned Sahani (affectionately known as Son of Mallah) as Deputy Chief Minister candidate, lagged considerably behind the National Democratic Alliance, which secured a decisive victory with 202 seats.

The NDA's seat distribution was as follows: BJP won 89 seats, Nitish Kumar's JDU claimed 85, Chirag Paswan's party took 19, Jitan Ram Manji secured 5 seats, and Upendra Kushwaha gained 2 seats.

Sahani's Vikassheel Insaan Party failed to win any constituencies in this election.

"This is obvious to everyone: the NDA is going to form a government with a 200-plus majority, and for this, I congratulate Modiji and Nitishji, and respect the mandate. We will investigate how this happened. It would be inappropriate to comment on this today," Sahani explained to NDTV's Editor-in Chief Rahul Kanwal when questioned about the viral footage.

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Sahani, who transitioned from being a Bollywood set designer to a politician, highlighted the distribution of Rs 10,000 to women during the election period as a significant factor influencing the results and contributing to the INDIA bloc's defeat.

He was referring to the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana (MMRY), announced by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on August 29, which promises Rs 2.10 lakh in instalments to women entrepreneurs for establishing small businesses such as stores, dairies, tailoring units, beauty parlours, or art-and-craft ventures.

"If I am looking at one thing, then in Modiji's language, forming the government by talking about revdis, then that is what we are getting to see. Transferring Rs 10,000 to the account of the mother and sister during the elections and telling them that rest will be given after the government is formed," he stated.

"So seeing this, because there is poverty, helplessness and problems in Bihar, people made up their minds and the women have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the NDA," Sahani added.

The Nishad (fisherman) community vote, which Sahani had attempted to consolidate, appears to have decisively shifted toward the NDA, attracted by targeted welfare promises.