 "Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar during a public rally ahead of the state Assembly polls, at Bhavani pur, in Purnia district of Bihar. PTI File")
The D-day of the Bihar Assembly elections 2025 has arrived. All eyes are on whether the BJP and RJD-led National Democratic Alliance will retain power in the state for another record term or the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan (MGB) will make its way to the assembly.
Counting of votes began at 8 am on Friday, and early leads have given the NDA an edge over the MGB. The NDA is leading in 68 seats as of 8:30 am, while the grand alliance formed by the current opposition is leading in 41 seats.
Exit polls have been nearly unanimous in predicting a clean sweep for the NDA, of which the JDU is a part, much to the annoyance of the Opposition Grand Alliance. Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD leader whom the Opposition coalition has named its chief ministerial candidate, rubbished these predictions and claimed Mahagathbandhan would form the government with a thumping majority.
Catch all the live updates on Bihar Assembly Election results here
This election saw the participation of 7.43 crore voters, including 14 lakh first-time voters, who chose between three distinct political visions for the state’s future. The NDA currently holds 131 seats, while the Grand Alliance has 111 in the outgoing assembly.
In the seat-sharing arrangements, the BJP and JD(U) are each contesting 101 seats, while the RJD has fielded the largest number of candidates within the opposition alliance. The outcome will hinge on how voters respond to these competing political narratives.
Quick Reads
View AllBihar registered a historic voter turnout of 67.13 per cent in the two phases of the election to the 243-member Assembly.
The NDA in Bihar comprises five parties, though a bulk of seats, in the 243-strong Assembly, were contested by JDU and BJP, both of which fielded candidates in 101 constituencies each.
The Grand Alliance includes RJD, Congress, CPI(ML) Liberation, other Left parties, and Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP).
Prominent candidates of both alliances who are in the fray include Deputy Chief Ministers Samart Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, JJD’s Tej Pratap and Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar.