The ruling National Democratic Alliance is heading for a sweeping victory in Bihar, putting Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on track to return for a record fifth term. The JD(U) appears to have made a strong comeback from its 2020 setback, boosted in part by a historic turnout of women voters, while the BJP is emerging as the single largest party in the state.
The Mahagathbandhan is trailing heavily, with the RJD struggling to hold on even in its traditional strongholds and the Congress reduced to single-digit leads. Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party has had a quiet debut, failing to lead in any of the constituencies it contested.
Bihar recorded a 67.13% voter turnout in the two-phase election held on November 6 and 11, the highest in its history. Women outvoted men, registering 71.78% turnout compared to 62.98% among male voters. The polls were conducted after a controversial Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls that had drawn scrutiny.
Current trends show the NDA crossing the 200-seat mark, establishing a commanding lead across the state as the INDIA bloc falls far behind. As counting progressed, Nitish Kumar told reporters, “Just a few hours of waiting, and the good-governance government will return.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address BJP workers at the party headquarters in New Delhi this evening following the alliance’s strong performance.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav urged counting officials to remain fair and transparent, saying, “Our party workers are alert and present at the counting centres. If any official tries to repeat the mistakes of 2020 or acts with malicious intent, the public will give a strong response.”
Voting took place across all 243 constituencies in two phases. Bihar has 7.42 crore registered voters, including 3.92 crore men and 3.5 crore women. Turnout remained high, with 65.08% polling in the first phase and 68.76% in the second. The first phase covering 121 seats recorded 64.66% turnout, the highest ever for those constituencies.
Exit polls released on November 12 had predicted a clear advantage for the NDA, and today’s trends appear to confirm that projection.
