NEW DELHI: The JD(U)-led NDA has had a cakewalk in the 2025 Assembly polls. Several factors contributed to the sweeping victory, among them Amit Shah's electoral strategy.

Entrusted with steering the NDA to success, Shah camped in the state for 19 days, engaging closely with party workers and formulating as well as executing the ground strategy that helped position the BJP as the single largest party in Bihar.

Ensuring the implementation of what Prime Minister Narendra Modi — the NDA’s national poll mascot — envisioned for the state under Nitish Kumar’s leadership, Shah examined every electoral nuance, from shaping an acceptable seat-sharing arrangement to spreading a pro-incumbency wave through Nari Shakti and Yuva Shakti across society.

A source close to Shah’s team told this newspaper on Friday that during his three-day stay in Patna, he cleared his schedule and managed to calm rebels who had been poised to damage the party’s prospects. This intervention proved highly effective and helped the BJP win more seats where rebels had threatened to hurt the party.

At the time, as many as 100 BJP rebels were working against the party’s interests. However, Shah, through a single-handed effort, persuaded all of them to abandon their rebellious stance and align themselves with the BJP’s political direction after meeting each of them and discussing the strategy and political prospects.

“These rebels, after Shah spoke to each of them, agreed — and this was a major factor that gave an edge to BJP and JD(U) candidates,” a senior figure associated with Shah’s team in Bihar told this newspaper.