Early trends in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections show the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leading in 53 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan is ahead in 29 constituencies. The Jan Suraaj Party has also secured an early lead in two seats.
Vote counting for all 243 constituencies began at 8 am under heightened security. Officials first started tallying postal ballots, with EVM vote counting commencing at 8:30 am.
A total of 4,372 counting tables and more than 18,000 counting agents have been deployed to ensure a smooth and transparent process. Most exit polls have forecast a comfortable edge for the NDA, though a few have indicated a possible victory for the Mahagathbandhan.
As per the Election Commission of India’s official press note, 2,616 candidates and 12 recognised political parties contested in the two-phase polls held on November 6 and 11. Notably, no constituency reported the need for repolling.
The main election contest in the Bihar elections is between the National Democratic Alliance, led by CM Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav’s Mahagathbandhan.
In the 2020 election, the NDA secured a majority in the assembly and won 125 seats, with Nitish Kumar again taking oath as Chief Minister. However, in August 2022, Nitish Kumar broke the alliance with the BJP and resigned as Chief Minister, forming a government with the RJD-Congress-led Mahagathbandhan.
He had emerged as a key figure in the formation of the combined opposition INDIA bloc. However, Kumar’s romance with the RJD lasted for less than two years, and in January 2024, ahead of the parliamentary polls, Kumar returned to the NDA.
BJP improved its position between the 2015 and 2020 polls. It won 53 of 157 seats it contested in 2015 and 74 of 110 seats in 2020. The Rashtriya Janata Dal has also shown a strong performance, having won 80 of the 101 seats it contested in 2015 and 75 of the 144 seats it put up candidates in during the 2020 polls.
JD-U saw a dip in its performance in the last two polls. It won 71 seats of 101 it contested in 2015 and 43 of 115 in 2020. Congress also saw a decline in performance from 27 seats it won in 2015 to 19 in 2020.
(With ANI Inputs)
Sofia Babu Chacko is a journalist with over five years of experience covering Indian politics, crime, human rights, gender issues, and stories about marginalized communities. She believes that every voice matters, and journalism has a vital role to play in amplifying those voices. Sofia is committed to creating impact and shedding light on stories that truly matter. Beyond her work in the newsroom, she is also a music enthusiast who enjoys singing.
