New Delhi, Nov. 19 -- The Congress party won only six of the 61 seats it contested in the recent Bihar elections, marking yet another setback for the party, which was part of the Mahagathbandhan - or the INDIA bloc - alongside the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Left parties.

The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) - comprising Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - swept the Bihar elections with 202 seats in the 243-member Assembly, virtually decimating the opposition, including the Congress. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, followed closely by the JD(U) with 85.

The Mahagathbandhan finished with 35 seats.

But what caused yet another election setback for the Congre...