"It's a political defeat for the BJP as Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his poll campaign with a negative tone questioning the DNA of Nitish Kumar," the former Union minister said here.
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"It sent across a negative message among the people," he claimed.
"The BJP had not left any stone unturned, including communal riots, in the run-up to the elections, which threw the people of Bihar a big challenge to defeat divisive forces, and the mandate reflects," he alleged.
While Nitish Kumar had not faced anti-incumbency threat, the Congress had given a political cover to the alliance through giving clarity to the voters, Sahay claimed.