The National Democratic Alliance surged ahead in the Bihar Assembly elections on Thursday, with trends indicating a sweeping mandate for the coalition and paving the way for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to return for a fifth consecutive term. By early evening, the NDA was leading in 204 of the 243 seats, far surpassing its 2020 performance when it secured 122 seats.
Nitish Kumar, already the longest-serving chief minister in the state, appeared poised to extend his tenure as results showed strong support for the alliance across most districts. Among the prominent victories, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav secured the Raghopur seat, defeating his opponent by a margin of more than 11,000 votes.
Meanwhile, the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) struggled to make significant gains, leading in only 33 seats as counting progressed. Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj party, which contested with considerable public attention, failed to open its account. Other high-profile candidates in the fray included Bihar’s Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, JJD leader Tej Pratap, and state Congress president Rajesh Kumar.
Ballot counting began at 8 a.m. across the state. While most exit polls had forecast a decisive NDA win, Tejashwi Yadav dismissed the predictions earlier, claiming the opposition bloc would emerge with a comfortable majority. Instead, the unfolding results strongly favored the ruling alliance.
This year’s Bihar election saw an impressive voter turnout of 67.13% across the two-phase polling held on November 6 and 11. Election officials described it as a historic level of participation for the state.
Individual wins within the NDA bolstered the celebration. BJP candidate Ram Kripal Yadav clinched the Danapur seat by a margin of 29,133 votes, expressing gratitude to voters and calling the victory “the people’s win.”
Political reactions quickly followed as the scale of the NDA’s success became evident. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis congratulated the alliance and criticized the Congress for what he described as “fake narratives” that voters rejected outright. LJP leader Chirag Paswan echoed similar sentiments, stating the mandate had “put a full stop” to allegations raised by the opposition, including claims of voter manipulation and controversies surrounding the SIR issue.
The emphatic outcome signals a renewed endorsement for the NDA and further cements Nitish Kumar’s position in Bihar’s political landscape.
