As early trends pointed to a sweeping victory for the NDA in Bihar, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday alleged that the outcome was neither surprising nor organic, claiming that the Election Commission and the BJP had “worked hand-in-hand” to execute a broader “national agenda.” Speaking to the media in Mumbai, Raut argued that the results reflected a pre-determined pattern, accusing the ruling party of influencing electoral processes. His remarks came at a time when the BJP-led NDA was leading in more than 180 of Bihar’s 243 seats, with projections indicating one of the coalition’s strongest performances in the state.

Drawing a parallel with the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, Raut said the Bihar trends resembled what he called the “Maharashtra pattern,” in which the Mahayuti alliance — comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) — registered a landslide victory, leaving the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) almost completely wiped out. According to Raut, similar political dynamics appeared to be unfolding in Bihar, where the opposition alliance many believed would form the government was instead slipping to fewer than 50 seats. He suggested that these developments demonstrated a repeated pattern of electoral domination engineered through institutional alignment rather than public mandate alone.

Raut reiterated his allegations in a post on X, sharing a strongly worded message in Marathi that questioned the credibility of the electoral process. He claimed that the Election Commission’s handling of the Bihar polls raised serious concerns, asserting that the results were predictable given the supposed cooperation between the Commission and the ruling party. While the NDA continues to strengthen its hold over Bihar’s electoral landscape, Raut’s statements have added a sharp political edge to the post-result discourse, intensifying debates around transparency, institutional independence, and the opposition’s diminishing space in key state elections.