Patna: In the high-octane arena of Bihar politics—where caste loyalties, dynastic strongholds, and welfare-driven narratives intertwine—The Plurals Party (TPP) once again attempted to script a disruption in the 2025 Assembly elections. Founded in 2020 by the enigmatic and often polarising Pushpam Priya Choudhary, the party marketed itself as a transformative force capable of breaking Bihar’s rigid political mould. With her London School of Economics pedigree, global polish, and a manifesto titled Bihar Total Transformation: 8 Diśā 8 Pahar, Priya envisioned a Bihar liberated from its overbearing fixation on caste and religious identity.
But when the votes were counted on November 14, 2025—after a record 67.1% turnout—the verdict was familiar and unforgiving. Contesting all 243 seats for the second time, TPP recorded zero wins yet again. Its vote share remained marginal, below 1.5%, leaving the party adrift despite early flashes of promise. What went wrong? This feature dissects TPP’s journey, its strategies, missteps, and where it stands in Bihar’s shifting political landscape.
A Party Born to Challenge Bihar’s Political Grammar
The Plurals Party was launched on March 8, 2020—International Women’s Day—with Priya positioning herself as the face of modernity. A political scion—her grandfather Umakant Choudhary co-founded the Samata Party and shared close ties with Nitish Kumar—Priya carried both legacy and rebellion. Her pitch was clear: Bihar needs a new grammar of politics, one that transcends the Yadav-Muslim (RJD) and upper-caste (BJP-JD(U)) binaries.
Her 2020 debut was bold but disastrous. Contesting all 243 seats, the party managed a meagre 0.7% vote share. Priya herself lost Bankipur and Bisfi, but not without gaining attention. Her black attire, masked face, cutting speeches, and sharply edited social media reels granted her visibility, if not credibility. She earned nicknames like “Bihar’s Kim Kardashian of Politics”—a mix of admiration and mockery.
By 2025, TPP was better organised, armed with a whistle symbol and Election Commission recognition. The manifesto focused on reversing Bihar’s chronic migration crisis (75 lakh workers leave annually), creating 20 lakh jobs, expanding AI-driven education, and improving women’s safety through tech-enabled surveillance. Priya contesting from Darbhanga—a seat central to Mithila identity—signalled her intention to combine regional pride with futuristic promises.
The Early Buzz: A Digital Darling With Ground Realities to Conquer
In the early phase of campaigning, TPP created ripples. Priya’s padyatras drew sizable Gen Z crowds, her X (formerly Twitter) follower count surged past 1.2 million, and urban influencers aligned with her message of “new-age politics”. Many saw TPP as a potential Aam Aadmi Party 2.0.
One dramatic moment arrived from the Sandesh constituency. TPP candidate Satya Prakash briefly led against RJD’s Dipu Singh and JD(U)’s Radha Charan Sah, stirring chatter about possible breakthroughs in EBC pockets. A few political observers predicted 5–10 seats, banking on TPP’s anti-dynasty stance at a time when Tejashwi Yadav and Nitish Kumar faced fatigue narratives.
But the promise fizzled.
The Verdict: NDA’s Tsunami Leaves No Space for Newcomers
When counting concluded, Bihar witnessed a sweeping mandate. The NDA crossed the 200-seat mark with ease (BJP 91, JD(U) 81, LJP(RV) 21). The Mahagathbandhan collapsed to roughly 36–39 seats, with the Congress slipping below 8% vote share. AIMIM made significant gains in Seemanchal.
But TPP, like the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), drew a blank.
Priya lost Darbhanga by over 15,000 votes to BJP’s Sanjay Saraogi. Satya Prakash in Sandesh finished fourth. TPP’s statewide vote share hovered around 1–1.5%, translating to just 3–4 lakh votes—an improvement from 2020, but nowhere near competitive.
A snapshot of where TPP stood:
| Party | Seats Contested | Seats Won | Vote Share | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NDA | 243 | 201+ | 48.2% | Massive women turnout benefits welfare push |
| Mahagathbandhan | 222 | 36–39 | 36.9% | MY base intact, Congress collapses |
| Jan Suraaj | 243 | 0 | 3.5% | Prashant Kishor’s debut flops |
| The Plurals Party | 243 | 0 | ~1.2% | Early Sandesh lead fizzles; deposits lost |
| AIMIM | 29 | 5–6 | 1.4% | Seemanchal surge |
The message was unambiguous: Bihar had no space left for new experiments this election.
Why TPP Failed: A Cocktail of Overreach and Misreading Bihar
TPP’s 2025 performance was shaped by several strategic and structural issues:
1. Contesting all seats again diluted focus
With limited funds (₹50–100 crore estimated), TPP’s resources thinned across 243 constituencies. The BJP alone was estimated to spend 10x more. Many TPP candidates were political novices, lacking booth-level machinery.
2. Digital resonance did not translate to rural votes
Priya’s online presence—50 lakh+ impressions during campaign days—boosted brand recall, not ballot conversion. Rural Bihar remained anchored in tangibles: Nitish’s “sushasan”, Modi’s welfare guarantees, and established caste configurations.
3. Casteless politics met caste-heavy realities
TPP’s aspirational rejection of caste politics inadvertently alienated entrenched groups:
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EBCs (36%) remained loyal to NDA due to targeted quotas.
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Yadavs stuck with RJD.
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Muslims drifted towards AIMIM in eastern pockets.
Priya’s Bhumihar identity, meanwhile, found little traction in OBC-dominated belts.
4. The “mask politics” backfired
Her insistence on wearing a mask until victory—meant as a symbolic gesture—was seen by many rural voters as aloofness or theatricality.
5. JSP became a vote-splitter
Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party occupied the same reformist, anti-Nitish space. JSP outperformed TPP in many urban areas, further slicing the “change vote”.
The Road Ahead: A Disruptor That Must Reinvent
For TPP, the 2025 results are sobering but not terminal. Priya, in a post-results message, wrote: “The whistle blows louder in defeat.”
There are slivers of opportunity:
- The party’s vote share rose by nearly 70% from 2020.
- Urban youth and first-time female voters engaged positively.
- Early Sandesh leads indicated possible footholds in EBC regions.
- A post-Nitish Bihar (now entering his fifth term) may create a political vacuum.
Yet, challenges remain daunting. Forfeiting 243 deposits (₹25,000 each) burdens finances. Priya’s masked image risks becoming a meme more than a message. Most critically, TPP must abandon its maximalist strategy.
If it hopes to survive, the party must:
- contest selectively,
- cultivate grassroots cadre,
- deploy caste-sensitive micro-strategies,
- and reconsider its no-alliance stance.
The Whistle Hasn’t Fallen Silent—Yet
The Plurals Party’s 2025 campaign underscores a paradox: Bihar is desperate for alternatives, but not quite ready to embrace them. TPP mirrors the state’s diversity in principle, but not yet in political reach. In the din of NDA’s landslide and a fractured opposition, Priya’s whistle struggled to be heard.
But politics is patient. In the quiet corridors of Bihar’s evolving power matrix, footnotes often become future chapters. And if TPP learns the lessons of 2025, its whistle may yet grow loud enough to command attention in 2029 and beyond.
