The recent Bihar assembly elections delivered a stunning victory for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which secured over three-fourths majority by winning 202 of the 243 assembly seats. In stark contrast, the Mahagathbandhan (MGB) was reduced to a mere 35 seats, while smaller parties and independents won the remaining seats, with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) securing five seats, the Bahujan Samaj Party one, and others winning six seats. Notably, Prashant Kishor's much-hyped Jan Suraj failed to open its account.

In the aftermath of this electoral landslide, social media erupted with debates and allegations. Many supporters of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) pointed to what they perceived as a puzzling anomaly: the RJD received more absolute votes and a higher overall vote share than both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United), yet won significantly fewer seats. Some went as far as to accuse the Election Commission (EC) of facilitating electoral manipulation and cheating.

These are serious allegations that deserve scrutiny. However, when we examine the data carefully, a different picture emerges - one that demonstrates not electoral fraud but the fundamental mathematics of how electoral systems work.

At first glance, the vote tallies seem to support the conspiracy theories. The RJD garnered an impressive 1.15 crore votes, translating to a 23% overall vote share, winning 25 seats. By comparison, the BJP received 1 crore votes with a 20.08%........

© NDTV