India, Nov. 14 -- The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led alliance's Dalit outreach appears to have failed in the 2025 Bihar elections, as it bagged only four of the 38 seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SC). In 2020, it won 17 SC seats. The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Opposition bloc won one Scheduled Tribe seat each.

The election results underlined the Opposition's inability to win over voters outside its Muslim-Yadav vote bank. The NDA is seen to have earned the trust of the Dalits through better law and order and development.

In the run-up to the polls, HT reported about the fear of lawlessness (Jungle Raj) from Dalit settlements if the RJD returned to power. Dalits are among the most vulnerable sections of th...