Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s familiar ‘gamcha wave’ at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan on Wednesday turned into the defining image of the National Democratic Alliance’s sweeping victory in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. With the NDA securing an impressive 202 out of 243 seats, the gesture served as a heartfelt acknowledgement of Bihar’s voters, who delivered one of the state’s strongest mandates in over a decade.
A day after the landslide win, Gandhi Maidan—an iconic political arena—witnessed yet another historic moment as Nitish Kumar was sworn in as Bihar Chief Minister for the 10th time. The ceremony, held at the same site that hosted oath-takings in 2005, 2010, and 2015, carried echoes of Jayaprakash Narayan’s legendary 1974 call for “total revolution.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president JP Nadda, and several frontline NDA leaders attended the ceremony, signalling the alliance’s united front after its resounding victory. Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan administered the oath of office.
The event also saw the presence of Chief Ministers from several NDA-ruled states, including Uttar Pradesh’s Yogi Adityanath, Assam’s Himanta Biswa Sarma, Andhra Pradesh’s N. Chandrababu Naidu, Haryana’s Nayab Singh Saini, Nagaland’s Neiphiu Rio, and Uttarakhand’s Pushkar Singh Dhami. LJP (RV) president Chirag Paswan, a crucial NDA ally, also attended the ceremony.
This year’s verdict marks only the second time since 2010 that the NDA crossed the 200-seat threshold. The BJP emerged with 89 seats, JD(U) followed with 85, LJP (RV) secured 19, while other alliance partners shared the remaining seats.
The overwhelming mandate is being widely viewed as a reaffirmation of Nitish Kumar’s political influence and administrative legacy. Kumar, now 74, has been at the helm of Bihar—barring a brief interval—for nearly two decades, shaping the state’s governance and developmental journey.
At the ceremony, the atmosphere turned electric when PM Modi greeted the crowd with his signature gamcha wave, a gesture that instantly went viral. For many, it symbolised the emotional bond between Bihar’s electorate and the NDA leadership, underscoring both gratitude and confidence as the alliance prepares for a new term.
