The Bihar Assembly election result has caused quite a sensation not only just across the nation but has also drawn international attention. An uninterrupted, invincible run for twenty years by the NDA in a state as large and politically volatile as Bihar is not a small feat. While the BJP, JD(U) and other allies and partners of the BJP are rejoicing over the massive victory, and the Congress is practically in a state of mourning, the question everyone is asking is: What explains this resilience of the JD(U)-BJP combine? A section of political pundits say that the proverbial ‘coalition of extremes’ – in this case that of lower Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and upper castes – explains the electoral strength that the two major NDA partners in the state had acquired during the run-up to the election. The Bihar election was undoubtedly a contest between the Muslim-Yadav combination and the ‘coalition of extremes’, with the former turning out to be a pipedream for Lalu Prasad. The ‘coalition of extremes’ in fact worked as a highly potent backlash to the Muslim-Yadav politics of Lalu Prasad, enabling the JD(U)-BJP combine to sweep the election. The riddle which many are yet to solve is that while most forecasts had given the JD(U)-BJP combine an edge over Lalu Prasad’s Maha-Gath-Bandhan, how did it get converted into such a massive victory of more than four-fifths of the seats going to the incumbent alliance? The Bihar verdict has also given the BJP its first-ever status as the single-largest party in the state, thus further consolidating the position of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is important to note that the BJP-led alliance, which had a difficult time explaining its poor performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha election despite coming out victorious, has now got rid of that story. Bihar, in fact, has given a more than clear victory to Modi after Haryana, Maharashtra and Delhi. As far as the Congress party is concerned, it has not only faced yet another drubbing at the hands of the electorate but has also slid down its position in the INDIA bloc. Moreover, the rout in Bihar will further deepen the perception that the Congress party is more of a liability than an asset for its allies. Taking a closer look at the Bihar outcome, one is tempted to say that though caste continues to play a major role in politics and elections, dependence on one populous caste can become counterproductive in the last moment. The Yadav factor could not deliver for RJD in Bihar, just as the Jats in Haryana or the Marathas in Maharashtra couldn’t for opposition parties. What will now be important to watch are the upcoming Assembly elections in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. As far as Assam is concerned, it will be a very steep uphill task for the Congress party, which had only last week tried to forge an alliance with a few smaller parties. The BJP and its allies, on the other hand, are naturally in an upbeat mood.