The early hours of vote counting for the 243-seat Bihar Assembly elections painted a decisive picture, with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) taking a commanding lead over the opposition Mahagathbandhan (INDIA bloc).
As counting commenced at 8 am, initial trends showed the RJD-led opposition giving a tough fight, but the tide quickly turned. By 10:30 am, data indicated the NDA was ahead in well over the required majority mark of 122 seats, with the gap widening against the Mahagathbandhan as electronic voting machine (EVM) votes were tallied.
BJP Takes the Lead in NDA
Within the ruling coalition, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has surged ahead of its ally, the Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)), in the single-largest party race.
- NDA Lead (Approx. 10:30 am): Over 160 seats
- Mahagathbandhan Lead (Approx. 10:30 am): Over 65 seats
The BJP was reportedly leading in at least 75 seats, closely followed by the JD(U), which was ahead in about 70 seats, firmly establishing the BJP as the dominant force in the alliance.
Key Candidate Battles
Despite the overall deficit for the Mahagathbandhan, its Chief Ministerial face, Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD, is reported to be leading in his high-profile Raghopur constituency, continuing his dominance over the seat.
Meanwhile, other individual battles are also being closely watched:
- Maithili Thakur (BJP), a noted singer making her electoral debut, is leading in the Alinagar constituency.
- Tej Pratap Yadav (Janshakti Janta Dal) is reportedly trailing in the Mahua assembly seat.
The Road to the Majority
The counting process began with postal ballots before moving to EVMs, with final results expected to emerge by the evening. The election, which was held in two phases on November 6 and 11, recorded a historic voter turnout of 67.13%, the highest since 1951.
The trends appear to mirror the predictions of most exit polls, which had given a comfortable edge to the NDA, even as the Mahagathbandhan, led by Tejashwi Yadav, had dismissed the forecasts and expressed confidence in a victory driven by high turnout. The final outcome will determine whether CM Nitish Kumar, who recently returned to the NDA, will secure a fifth term or if a new political configuration will take shape in Bihar.