With the National Democratic Alliance achieving a decisive victory in the Bihar Assembly elections, Janata Dal (United) leader and the state's longest-serving Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, is poised to take office for another term.

Sharad Pawar has alleged that the BJP-led NDA's victory in the recent Bihar Assembly election was influenced by a government-backed cash transfer scheme, under which Rs 10,000 was credited into the bank accounts of women voters shortly before polling

Dropping a bombshell a day after the RJD suffered a devastating loss in the Bihar Assembly elections, party chief Lalu Yadav's daughter Rohini Acharya has said she is disowning her family and quitting politics.

Chirag Paswan on Saturday called for Nitish Kumar to become the Chief Minister of Bihar for the fifth consecutive term.

"The issue of whether or not the Deputy Chief Minister should be from the party will be discussed within the alliance," he said.

Former Union Minister RK Singh, who was suspended by the BJP over anti-party activities, has quit the party. This comes days after the senior leader questioned the NDA leadership and raised serious allegations against the Bihar government.

The Kerala Congress has blamed the voter roll revision for Mahagathbandhan's poor performance in Bihar. "128 seats out of the 202 won by the NDA came purely from SIR-based voter deletions. We analysed the voter deletion data published by the ECI as ordered by the Supreme Court and compared it with the victory margins in each constituency. The pattern is unmistakable: genuine, living voters were removed arbitrarily under SIR," the party said in a post on X.

JDU's General Secretary Manish Verma said there is "no doubt" Nitish Kumar would become the Chief Minister for the fifth consecutive term.

"The NDA has received the mandate. Nitish Kumar will be sworn in as Chief Minister. Chirag Paswan's party will also be in the government, as it is also part of the NDA. We cannot say anything about who will be the Deputy Chief Minister. There should be no doubt about Nitish Kumar becoming the Chief Minister," he said.

The Tejashwi Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), in a first reaction after its poor performance in the Bihar Assembly elections, said "ups and downs are inevitable".

"Public service is an unceasing process, an endless journey! Ups and downs are inevitable in it. No sorrow in defeat, no arrogance in victory! The Rashtriya Janata Dal is the party of the poor, it will continue to raise their voice among the poor!" it wrote on X.

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan said his party contested the Bihar Assembly elections based on people's trust, and not based on exit polls.

"In 2025, we were given seats where the alliance believed only the LJP could win. A narrative was created that the LJP was not getting the support of the JDU. It was being said that the boy who boasted of a 100 per cent strike rate would lose in most seats. Exit polls were not able to get me even into double figures. I contested the election based on the trust of the people, not on exit polls," he said.

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan today said that his party has achieved the position his "father had envisioned" in Bihar. 

Lok Jan Shakti Party (Ram Vilas) won 19 seats, up from 1 in the 2020 election.

"This has been the party's second-highest performance. 2009 was a difficult time. Even my father couldn't win then. He made a spectacular comeback in 2014. History repeats itself. A similar situation prevailed in 2020. By 2022, it was assumed that Chirag Paswan's party was finished. But, learning from my father, I resolved to take the party to greater heights," he said.

Chirag Paswan, the son of late Bihar leader Ram Vilas Paswan, has come of age in the just concluded assembly election, leaving a huge footprint on the state and the alliance. His Lok Jan Shakti Party (Ram Vilas) won 19 seats, up from 1 in the 2020 election. He, however, refused to confirm the buzz that his reward will be the coveted post of Deputy Chief Minister. 

In an exclusive interview with NDTV's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Editor-In-Chief  Rahul Kanwal, Paswan said the 2020 results were deeply affected by the split within the ruling NDA. The rift, he added, was the reason why Tejashwi Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal could reach the high figure of 75 and become the single largest party.

Rajiv Ranjan Singh, better known as Lalan Singh, praised the NDA's win in Bihar, saying people have "expressed confidence in Bihar's development".

"Our Bihar will further develop and be counted among the developed states. We have given such a strong majority to make Bihar a developed state," he said.

On the Opposition's 'vote theft' charges, Singh said, "Now that we have lost, the opposition will inevitably fabricate some narrative. The opposition is looking for excuses for the defeat."

Former Union Minister RK Singh, a senior politician from Bihar, has been suspended by the BJP over anti-party activities, a day after the BJP emerged victorious in state polls. A former MP from Arrah in Bihar, Singh had been questioning the NDA leadership and also making serious allegations against the Nitish Kumar government in his state.

"You are indulging in anti-party activities. This falls within the scope of discipline. The party has taken this seriously. This has caused harm to the party. Therefore, as directed, you are being suspended from the party and asked to explain why you should not be expelled from the party. Therefore, please clarify your position within a week of receiving this letter," the BJP said in a notice to Singh this morning.

A former diplomat, Singh had served as the Home Secretary during Manmohan Singh's tenure. He joined the BJP in 2013 and became an MP from Arrah twice, in 2014 and 2019. In 2017, he was appointed the Minister of Power in the Modi 1.0 cabinet. He lost his seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

As the ruling NDA decimated the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar to retain power, all but one of the 25 state ministers in the fray won their respective seats.

Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, both from the BJP, won Tarapur and Lakhisarai assembly seats.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has been a member of the legislative council (MLC), did not contest the assembly elections.

Altogether 15 ministers from the BJP had contested the polls and emerged victorious.

Congress leader Ajay Maken questioned the Bihar mandate, saying it is "never happened that anyone has a 90 per cent strike rate." The NDA won 202 seats in the 243-member Assembly, while the Mahagathbandhan managed to win 35.

"Daal mein kuch kala hai (There's something fishy). All of my colleagues believe this," he said.

In the high-stakes Bihar assembly elections, where the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won massively, the Madhya Pradesh unit of the BJP not just campaigned (in Bihar) but played a full-fledged cricket tournament, delivering strike rates that would even make IPL stars jealous.

The Madhya Pradesh BJP leaders sent to Bihar seemed to walk into the election campaigning pitch with a bat, and not a microphone. Their scoreboard reveals interesting details.

In the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, several political heavyweights and prominent figures emerged victorious as the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance registered a landslide win. The Bihar election was held in two phases on November 6 and November 11. 

Results were declared today with the NDA ahead in 200-plus seats in the 243-member Bihar assembly. 

Here's a look at how heavyweights fared in the election.

Opposition's 'vote theft' allegations fail to make a mark in Bihar as historic sees historic win. Watch NDTV's special report:

Chirag Paswan, the son of late Bihar leader Ram Vilas Paswan, met Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar this morning. "I went to congratulate him. The Chief Minister supported our candidates," he said.

On NDA's win, Paswan said, "All the allies fought the elections together, which is why we got a huge majority."

Paswan's Lok Jan Shakti Party (Ram Vilas) won 19 seats, up from 1 in the 2020 election.

Members of Congress party - who flopped in the Bihar Assembly elections -  will hold a meeting at party President Mallikarjun Kharge's residence to review the loss.

The meeting will be attending by Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal, and Ajay Maken.

Chirag Paswan, the son of late Bihar leader Ram Vilas Paswan, left a huge footprint on the state and the alliance. His Lok Jan Shakti Party (Ram Vilas) won 19 seats, up from 1 in the 2020 election.

He will be meeting Chief Minister Nitish Kumar shortly.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is heading towards one of its most decisive victories in two decades as counting continues for the Bihar Assembly elections.

Having crossed the 200-seat mark in the 243-member House, the NDA has not only consolidated its position but also surpassed its strong 2010 performance.

A look at the major winners and losers.

The AIMIM having won five assembly seats in Bihar, party chief Asaduddin Owaisi made it clear he was expecting allegations of "BJP's B team" again - this time from the main opposition party Rashtriya Janata Dal, which has been decimated in this election. The scale of the Mahagathbandhan's defeat, though, leaves more to be explained, Owaisi pointed out. In an exclusive interview with Rahul Kanwal the Chief Executive Officer and Editor-in-Chief of NDTV, he also declared that he will contest the next assembly election in Uttar Pradesh. Bengal, though, is yet to be decided.

NDTV data has showed that of the 23 seats that AIMIM contested, they had played spoiler in eight. Six of these were won by the NDA and two by the Opposition alliance. Asked if the allegations of "B Team" can be justified under the circumstances, Owaisi scoffed. 

"Can any of these people who blame me, can they tell us after giving 36 per cent of tickets to 14 per cent Yadavs, why have they lost? Do they have this intellectual honesty or braveness or boldness to say that, oh, the Yadavas didn't vote for us, we lost," Owaisi said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray warned Nitish Kumar to "stay alert" after the NDA's landslide victory in Bihar.

"I want to congratulate the Election Commission from the bottom of my heart. Their experiment of the SIR, through which they cut 65 lakh voters for their owners BJP, was successful. Would Nitish Kumar actually become the Chief Minister owing to the BJP's game? I suggest he stay alert, because we have seen the BJP from up close," he said.

Thackeray added, "I don't believe that the schemes for women could influence their votes. Women always put thought into who they vote for... They have not voted, looking at 'notes' but at the face. They (NDA) are using the excuse of the 'Ladli Behna' scheme to justify their win through vote-chori. This magic happened due to the Election Commission. What's the point of such an election where you cut the votes of 65 lakh voters?"

Not all coaches win matches. This has come true for poll strategist Prashant Kishor, who guided many a leader to electoral victory, but faced a massive defeat in his first poll test. His Jan Suraaj Party, touted as a third front and a political alternative in Bihar, failed to open its account in the hinterland ballot battle. Speaking to NDTV at the Bihar Power Play conclave earlier this month, Prashant Kishor had said he would either win "fewer than 10 seats or more than 150". He must not have imagined that "fewer than 10" could be zero. What's worse, many Jan Suraaj candidates performed so poorly that they are likely to forfeit their deposits, meaning Kishor can't even seek refuge in statistics and claim that he put up a fight.

In his first reaction after the party's embarrassing defeat, Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi has said the Bihar Assembly election was not fair from the beginning.

Taking to X on Friday after it became clear that the Mahagathbandhan as a whole would not cross 40 seats while the NDA managed to win 202 in the 243-member Assembly, Gandhi said the result was surprising and the bigger fight is for "the protection of the Constitution and democracy".

Without explicitly speaking about 'vote theft', over which he had also taken out a Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar, Gandhi wrote, "I express my heartfelt gratitude to those millions of voters in Bihar who expressed their trust in the Mahagathbandhan. This result in Bihar is truly surprising. We could not achieve victory in an election that was not fair from the very beginning."

"This fight is for the protection of the Constitution and democracy. The Congress party and the INDIA alliance will deeply review this result and make their efforts to save democracy even more effective," he added.

Congress leader and Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge called the party's Bihar defeat "extremely surprising", adding that he is "not ready to accept the mandate".

"This kind of verdict is difficult to accept. It is something I was not expecting. Winning and losing are part of the game, but I am not sure if this truly reflects the people's mandate. This is surprising. I am not ready to accept this mandate. We had done ground reality check. This is not people's mandate," he said.

Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi raised doubts on the Bihar election results, saying people would not have voted for a "one-sided majority".

"Congratulations to the Election Commission and Gyanesh ji for defeating even the best exit pollsters. Looking at the exit poll vote share and the final vote share of different parties, there is not much difference. It points to the fact that targeted vote chori in selective seats can lead to a massive difference in the final outcome of the assembly," he claimed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi fired multiple taunts at beaten rivals Rashtriya Janata Dal Friday evening, including appropriating the term 'M-Y' - referring to its traditional vote bank of Muslims and Yadavs - and re-naming it 'Mahila (women) and youth'. "... this is the new 'M-Y' formula in Bihar," the Prime Minister intoned, to ecstatic chants of 'phir ek baar, NDA sarkar', and 'Modi, Modi'.

The jab came hours after the BJP and its ally, the Janata Dal United of Chief MInister Nitish Kumar, recorded a thumping win over the Mahagathbandhan, the alliance led by the RJD and Congress.

In fact, so dominant was the win it was all a no-contest less than two hours into counting.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance was on course to win over 200 of Bihar's 243 seats as the Prime Minister thundered out his victory speech at the party HQ in Delhi.

As votes cast in the high-voltage Bihar election have been counted now, the main opposition RJD's score is a sorry sight. The Tejashwi Yadav-led party, which contested 143 seats, has won only 25 seats. It's a massive setback for RJD, which finished as the single largest party in the 2020 state polls.

Also, this would be the RJD's second-worst showing in a Bihar election. In the 2005 Assembly polls, when Nitish Kumar came to power in Bihar after a thumping NDA victory, the RJD had won 55 seats. At the time, Tejashwi Yadav's mother, Rabri Devi, was the Chief Minister, and RJD was facing mounting anti-incumbency in the hinterland state. A resurgent Nitish Kumar had teamed up with the BJP and scored a thumping win, ending the RJD's rule in Bihar. The RJD's worst show came in the next election in 2010, when it managed just 22 seats.  

Twenty years and Nitish Kumar's multiple flip-flops later, the BJP and JDU are together again and have secured another big win. Their coalition has won 202 seats in the 243-member Assembly. The figures show that Tejashwi Yadav has led his party to its worst rout. The 36-year-old has taken charge of the party, founded by his father and veteran politician Lalu Yadav. Lalu Yadav founded RJD in 1997 and led the party to its best poll victories.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has secured one of its strongest mandates in two decades in the Bihar Assembly elections.

Left parties on Friday termed the Mahagathbandhan's defeat in the Bihar Assembly polls a major setback and pointed out that the results were reflective of ground realities.

The ruling NDA decimated the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar to retain power, reaffirming Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's enduring appeal and dealing a body blow to the Congress and its ally RJD.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stellar leadership for the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) sweeping win in the Bihar Assembly polls and said the opposition camp stood wiped out.

Yadav made the remarks at an event in Barwani district on the eve of the 150th birth anniversary of tribal icon Birsa Munda.

"Bihar result is truly surprising. It was an election that was not fair from the beginning": Rahul Gandhi on Congress loss

"This was not a sudden result. It was a result of 20 years of hard work," said Union Minister and BJP Bihar in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan.

"Bihar results will impact Bengal results. We will try our best in Bengal," said Union Minister and BJP Bihar in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan.

"Now, the gathbandhan has lost. From tomorrow onwards, they will blame me for their loss," said Asaduddion Owaisi.

"It was more the regional issues, state issues, the issues of seemanchal - the most underdeveloped part of the country - it was the mix of all these. There is this sense of discrimation, disempowerment. These were our issues. The community thinks that the parties want their votes but don't want to create a Muslim leadership. The young voters want to be citizens with rights," Asaduddion Owaise what were the issues of Muslims in Bihar.

"Are only Muslims going to vote? What about the other communities. It all boils down to the Muslim. The day the discrimination is stopped, a leadership will be created. We are carrying this weight for so many years. Why couldn't they defeat the BJP? What is it that they want us to do? Should we cut our head, should we cut our fingers? Asaduddin Owaisi told Muslims.

"People of seemanchal have reposed faith in AIMIM. Their vote was for Seemanchal's development and I am thankful to them," said AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.

"Tejashwi has a very long political career. One thing that he should unlearn from his father is his ignorance of governance. He should do what Prashant Kishor did, for two years walk from village to village, then there is a future for him," said political analyst Yogendra Yadav.

"Today's victory has energised the BJP's cadres in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Assam and Wedt Bengal," said PM Modi.

"Ganga flows from Bihar to Bengal. The BJP will eradicate jungle raaj from Bengal as well. The victory has cleared the way for the BJP's victory in Bengal," he said.

State assembly elections will be held in Bengal next year.

"Bihar is ready to welcome you, this is my message to investors. I want to tell those settled outside the country that this is the right time to invest in Bihar," said PM Modi

"The public fight between Congress and RJD is imminent," said PM Modi.

Another split in Congress is imminent. The allies also realise now that the Congress is sinking everyone with their negative politics," said PM Modi.

"They question EVM, abuse poll body, spread the propoganda the enemies of the country. The Congress doesn't have any positive vision for the country's development. The Congress has become MMC (Muslim league-Maoist Congress)," said PM Modi.

"In the last three elections, Congress couldn't reach the 3-digit mark. After the 2024 Lok Sabha results. There were elections in six state assemblies. Even there the Congress couldn't reach 100 seats. Congress has not won that many MLAs in last six state polls that we have won just today," said PM Modi.

"People look at NDA with a lot of trust. If a country is choosing a government repeatedly, this is the new fundamental for the country's election and democracy," said PM Modi.

"Last year, the country gave us its mandate for the third time. That was a relection of the country's love and trust for the NDA," said PM Modi.

"They created a fake perception of Bihar. Those who can call term chhath puja drama how can they work for Bihar's growth. People of Bihar will never forgive these people," said PM Modi in a veiled dig at Rahul Gandhi.

"Today, the red corridor, those days of terror have become history. Bihar is moving on the course of progress. Today's result is a reply to those who didn't want Bihar to progress," said PM Modi.

"Now appeasement has been replaced with satisfaction," said PM Modi.

"People of Bihar made sure that there would be no entry to jungle raaj," he added.

"People of Bihar have shown that those on bail will not get their support," said PM Modi.

"Now, our young voters take the purification of voter rolls (SIR) very seriously," said PM Modi.

"In this year's Bihar election, people celebrated elections like festivals. Earlier, during 'jungle raaj', there used to be boot capturing, ballot box used to be looted. In these elections, there was a record voter turnout. There used to be repolling. And this time, there was no need for a repolling," said PM Modi.

"I also thank people of Nagrota and those of Nuapada in Odisha for voting the BJP in bypolls, said PM Modi.

"Some parties who believe in appeasement had created an MY formula, which stands for Muslims and Youth. Today's victory has created another MY formula - Mahila (women) and Youth," said PM Modi.

"There will be no entry to katta sarkaar anymore. People of Bihar has voted for development. They have broken all records," said PM Modi.

PM Modi also urged everyone to make makhana kheer today.

PM Modi started his address with "Jai Chhathi Maiyya" chant. "Bihar ne garda udaa diya (People of Bihar created a storm," he said.

JP Nadda, slamming the Congress, has said that it is now "weaker than the regional parties" in Bihar.

"Mahagathbandhan insulted the people of Bihar. They even insulted Chhathi maiya. They insulted the migrants. They even abused PM Modi's mother. And now the people of Bihar have given them a befitting answer," said JP Nadda.

"The opposition wanted to run the Bihar government through infiltrators. The people of Bihar have given a clear message that they are standing with the nationalist forces," said JP Nadda.

"We saw the highest strike rate in Bihar. The people of Bihar has given a clear mandate," said JP Nadda.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi waved his gamcha as he arrived at the BJP headquarters as a mark of gratitude. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived at the BJP headquarters in Delhi to address the party cadres after the NDA's historic victory in Bihar.

"The Paswans fielded by us were the ones who always stood by us. We only supported our cadre," said Chirag Paswan.

"People were spreading rumours about my relationship with Nitish Kumar. When he came to meet us during Chhath puja, it put every rumour to rest," Chirag Pawan told NDTV.

"Whereever Papa is, I am sure he would be very happy," said Chirag Paswan on the performance of his Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) in Bihar elections.

Union Ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh arrived at the BJP headquarters after NDA's landmark victory in Bihar.

JP Nadda has arrived at the BJP headquarters after NDA's landmark victory in Bihar.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis congratulated the NDA alliance for its landslide victory in Bihar and slammed the Congress for "spreading a fake narrative".

"The Congress has reached an unprecedented low in Bihar. It has been decimated in Bihar, and if it doesn't improve, it will be destroyed. Only a fool doesn't learn from its mistakes. Politics doesn't work on fake narratives. Their fake narrative has been exposed," said Fadnavis.

BJP candidate Ram Kripal Yadav has won the Danapur seat.  "I salute the great voters of Danapur for making me win. It is their victory, not mine," he said. 

He won the seat against RJD's Rita Lal Roy with a margin of 29,133 votes.

NDA's victory has put a full stop on misconceptions that the opposition tried to perpetrate, whether it was the SIR issue or 'vote-chori' allegations, LJP chief Chirag Paswan said. "Rahul Gandhi frequently made personal comments on my Prime Minister... Biharis are known for their manners too. The Congress never understood that every time they used indecent language, they were moving towards self-harm..," he said.

Singer Maithili Thakur, who made her poll debut on a BJP ticket, has won from Alinagar.

BJP leaders display a show of strength as they celebrate at the party office in Patna.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has won by over 11,000 votes.

Union Minister Chirag Paswan said: "Firstly, I want to extend a special thanks and congratulations to the great people of Bihar who, with the thought of giving momentum to Bihar on the path to development, took this historic decision of giving a landslide victory to the NDA. Bihar and Biharis have the intellect and the capability to take the right decision at the right time... This one answer has put a full stop to many questions. The people who were questioning CM Nitish Kumar's health, NDA's tenure of the last two decades, the existence of jungle raj before, how much my Prime Minister prioritises Bihar, and my role in the alliance, this result has given a befitting reply to all these questions... Had this united NDA of five parties existed in 2020, it would have performed equally brilliantly..."

Almost 10 Gen Zs stood the electoral test in the two-phase Bihar Assembly elections, including spiritual singer and BJP's Alinagar candidate Maithili Thakur. Here is how the nine candidates aged 25 years stand as of 4 pm:

In Alinagar, Maithili Thakur is on the path to become the state's youngest ever MLA. She is almost 7,000 votes ahead of Rashtriya Janata Dal's (RJD) Binod Mishra.

Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party's (RLJP) Yash Raj lost from Alauli to Janata Dal (United)'s Ram Chandra Sada.

As votes continue to be counted in Amour, Aam Aadmi Party's Muntazir Alam stands sixth with 2,300 votes in her favour. In this seat, AIMIM's Akhtarul Iman is leading with over 1 lakh votes.

Independent candidate from Aurangabad Neha has so far bagged just 200 votes in her favour, as BJP's Trivikram Singh leads with a decisive margin. Click here to read more

On Congress leader Pawan Khera's statement blaming the Election Commission, BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy said: "After losing, the blame game naturally begins. If one analyses the reasons for the defeat, it makes sense, but making accusations after losing fully demonstrates the desperation of the Congress party..."

"I express my gratitude to each worker of the NDA, who have worked tirelessly. They went among the public, presented our development agenda, and firmly countered every lie of the opposition. I appreciate them from the bottom of my heart!" PM Modi wrote on X. 

"In the coming times, we will actively work towards the development of Bihar, giving a new identity to the infrastructure here and the culture of the state. We will ensure that the youth power and women power here get ample opportunities for a prosperous life," he added. 

In a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the NDA's performance in the Bihar elections. "Victory of good governance has been achieved. Victory of development has been achieved. Victory of the spirit of public welfare has been achieved. Victory of social justice has been achieved. My deepest gratitude to the family members of Bihar, who have blessed the NDA with a historic and unprecedented victory in the 2025 assembly elections. This resounding public mandate will empower us to serve the people and work with new resolve for Bihar," he said in Hindi.

Singer and BJP candidate Maithili Thakur is leading in Alinagar by over 8,000 votes. 

On NDA leading in Bihar, JD(U) MP Lovely Anand said: "We were expecting this victory because we have worked for the people and for Bihar's development. Women came out in huge numbers to vote in this election. This victory is the result of Nitish Kumar and PM Modi's efforts to promote Bihar's growth. The opposition has alleged vote theft, but the public has rejected their claims and chosen law and order and development in Bihar above all."

Lalu Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal, set slide to one of its lowest score in assembly elections, has been the target of much ridicule through the day. One of the sharpest jabs came from Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen).

Waris Pathan, one of the seniormost leaders of the party, declared today that it is the RJD's "arrogance' that has brought them to such a pass. 

"In the beginning, we had gone to them and offered to contest together. But they were too arrogant," he told reporters today. 

AIMIM is currently leading on six seats, powered by the Muslim votes from Seemanchal. Their success is seen by many as the wedge driven into the heretofore solid Muslim support for the RJD. 

Pathan disagreed. "The RJD and the Congress are themselves responsible for the division of minority votes," he said, reiterating that they were given the opportunity to come together "by seeking only six seats from the Mahagathbandhan, but they refused".

The NDA is headed for a blockbuster win in Bihar, with the official trends showing the ruling bloc is leading in more than 200 seats in the 243-member assembly.

Sources in the BJP said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's GYAN -- Gareeb (poor), Yuva (youth), Annadata (farmers), and Naari (women) - proved instrumental in the NDA's record victory in the state.

The GYAN brought a significant shift in Bihar's politics, with people, especially women and youth, rising above caste to vote for continued development, the sources said.

The poor, the youth, the farmers, and women voted overwhelmingly for the NDA, they added.

People also expressed confidence in the schemes of the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led government for women, youth, the extremely backward, the backward, and the deprived sections of Bihar, the sources said.

With the NDA poised for a landslide victory in the Bihar Assembly elections, Delhi Police has announced traffic diversions in key areas of the capital in anticipation of massive celebrations at the BJP headquarters.

Delhi Police has made elaborate security arrangements around the party office. No parking will be allowed on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, DDU Marg, IP Marg, or near Ranjit Singh Flyover. Commuters are advised to avoid these routes and expect heightened checks and traffic diversions in the area.

Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha said: "... I want to tell Tejashwi Yadav that if he wants to come to power in the next 10 or 20 years, he will have to change his pattern. He and his people's behavior will have to change... SIR wasn't an issue at all. They should be aware of the ground reality. The people of Bihar have rejected them, and they have created such a face in Bihar that they were bound to be rejected by the people of Bihar. By making statements that the public hates, the opposition, the RJD, wants to deceive the public. They cannot deceive the people of Bihar in that way. On one hand, our government is doing so much good work, and on the other hand, these people want to come to power by making baseless statements and inciting public sentiment. This is not possible." 

Praising Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's victory, as per latest trends, in the Bihar elections, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule said: "Jo jeeta wohi sikandar. It is a huge mandate and we will have to give credit to Nitish Kumar ji under whose leadership and face the entire election was fought... What really happened and  why the Mahagathbandhan couldn't make it... it is too early to predict anything.. we at least need 48 hours to introspect." 

A Bhojpuri superstar, another's wife, a young spiritual singer with over 11 million followers and a Bhojpuri singer-actor-model entered the Bihar poll contest. As the counting of votes propelled the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to a landslide, some registered a thumping political debut while other stars lost their sheen. Click here to read more

Here is where the political parties stand, as per the Election Commission.

He was projected by the Mahagathbandhan as its deputy chief minister face, but Mukesh Sahani's Vikassheel Insaan Party looks set to draw a blank in the Bihar Assembly elections, underscoring a lack of awareness by the opposition alliance about the situation on the ground. 

Speaking to NDTV on Friday, Sahani said while he respected the mandate, the NDA victory was a result of "freebies", and claimed the Election Commission had turned a deaf ear to the opposition's allegations of vote theft. 

"We respect the mandate and we will all introspect on what went wrong. In PM Modi's language, the NDA is forming a government by distributing "rewadi" (freebies). We saw this in how Nitish Kumar got the women's vote by transferring Rs 10,000 to their accounts. This was also Nitish ji's last election and he has worked for women in the past 20 years. He managed to save his government by distributing Rs 10,000. I congratulate him, but we have to introspect," he said. 

The BJP today used its strong performance in the Bihar assembly election to signal its next political target -- Mamata Banerjee's West Bengal. As counting trends showed the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) heading for a decisive victory, senior party leader and IT cell head Amit Malviya said the mandate in Bihar demonstrated the NDA's "credibility" and would have direct implications for West Bengal, which is set for Assembly elections in 2026. 

Speaking on NDTV, Malviya said the result reflected "the kind of work that the NDA government has been doing," particularly in programmes aimed at youth employment and women's economic participation. He credited Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the BJP in Bihar for "creating opportunities for the youth" and "enabling women to start their own businesses." 

According to Malviya, the outcome also marked a contrast with what he called the "disastrous 15 years of Lalu Prasad Yadav," a period he argued had stalled Bihar's progress.

AIMIM leader Waris Pathan hit out at the RJD over its performance in the Bihar elections."19% of them in Bihar are Muslims. Is there no one among them who could become the Deputy Chief Minister or the Chief Minister? Tejashwi called our party president an extremist...He should apologise to all the Muslims. Our party is also performing well there. We had already told the Mahagathbandhan members that we should fight together to prevent the division of secular votes and we had asked for six seats. But there was arrogance..." 

An old video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where he is seen asserting that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will register its biggest-ever victory in Bihar, is doing the rounds on social media as the coalition is set to comfortably retain power in one of the most populous states in the country.

"I am certain that the NDA will register its biggest-ever victory in Bihar this year. Prepare for a Vijayotsav (grand celebration) on November 14," PM Modi can be heard saying in the viral video.

He made the assertion in one of the many political rallies that he addressed in the run-up to the Bihar assembly elections. This evening, he will address the BJP workers at the party's office in the national capital over the landslide victory.

Vikassheel Insaan Party chief Mukesh Sahani, who bargained hard with the opposition Grand Alliance to get 12 seats for his party and the Deputy Chief Ministerial post for himself, is sharing the reverses suffered by the Mahagathbandhan. His party, which won four seats in 2020, is trailing in all 12 seats. 

The AIMIM is currently leading in six seats -- Jokihat, Bahadurganj, Thakurganj, Kochadhaman, Amour and Biasi.

With the trends showing NDA taking the lead in Bihar, Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel said: "One person is responsible for this result- Gyanesh Kumar. I congratulate him. Sixty-five lakh votes were deleted, and 21 lakh voters were added. This magic has been done by Gyanesh Kumar... Gyanesh Kumar has made all the efforts alone. Congratulations to him..."

The Bihar election results not just mark a serious drubbing for the Congress but also deal a major setback to Rahul Gandhi, who had crisscrossed the state earlier this year to convince voters that the BJP had been stealing votes. Gandhi had taken out the Voter Adhikar Yatra in August this year, buoyed by the two previous yatras that the party believed had helped them consolidate votes in the last few elections.

The yatra began from Sasaram and ended in Patna, crossing 25 districts and 110 assembly constituencies, covering about 1,300 km. But not a single constituency on this route appears to be tilting towards Gandhi's party. Current trends suggest that the Congress is now leading in just four seats-Valmiki Nagar, Kishanganj, Manihari, and Begusarai-out of the 61 seats that it contested. Click here to read more

On the election trends, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said: "...Whatever happened in Maharashtra and Haryana, it has been repeated in Bihar. This has been told by everybody in the country that Bihar also will follow the path of Maharashtra and Haryana. So, the democracy is in trouble. The right-thinking people of this country have to think about this very seriously because there is no value for our votes. Votes will be decided by the Election Commission. The poll body is colluding with the BJP and doing all these things. So, I feel that there is no scope for parliamentary democracy in our country..."

They became MLAs in 1990, when Tejashwi Yadav was three months old. Since then, they have won every election in Bihar from the same seats. BJP's Prem Kumar and JDU's Bijendra Prasad Yadav are now set for their ninth straight win from Gaya Town and Supaul, respectively.

Three and a half decades after their first win, Kumar and Yadav are leading again, six hours into the counting of votes cast in the high-voltage election.

Both are ministers in the Nitish Kumar cabinet. While Prem Kumar holds the portfolios of cooperatives and environment, Bijendra Yadav is the incumbent Power Minister. Click here to read more

On the Bihar assembly election results, CPI leader D Raja said: "During our campaign in Bihar, we saw a huge popular response and support for Tejashwi Yadav and the Mahagathbandhan. But now the counting, the early trends show something else. So let's wait for the final round of counting. Then we will analyse the reasons for such a result..."

The Congress, which has had a poor track record in Bihar, has flopped once again in the state that went to polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11. "It's a question of leading at the moment. They are leading by a rather large margin. But let's wait for the Election Commission to discuss and disclose the results. I am sure that the party (Congress) has a responsibility to study in detail the causes. But remember, we were not the senior partner in the alliance, and that RJD also has to look carefully at its own performance. But I will say that on a matter like this, it's very important that we look at the totality of our performance," Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said.

JD(U) candidate and political strongman Anant Singh has won the Mokama seat in Patna. Anant Singh is currently in jail after his arrest in a murder case of a Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) supporter. 

"Based on the feedback that we have been receiving, the results are very disappointing. Bihar leaders sit down and seriouly consider this issue," said RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui.

The ruling NDA has crossed the 200-mark in Bihar while the Tejashwi Yadav's RJD-led Mahagathbandhan is leading in only 36 seats,

As the BJP-led NDA inched closer to a landslide victory in Bihar, Haryana Minister Anil Vij said the big message from the election is that "people want development".

"The Bihar election has sent out a very big message to the entire country that the people do not want fake promises; they want real work and development," the transport and energy minister said.

He claimed that the people of Bihar have accepted the development-driven policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The BJP has touched the 200 mark, as per the latest trends.

Khesari Lal Yadav's electoral debut seems set to come a cropper, with the Bhojpuri superstar, who is trailing the BJP's Chhoti Kumari by nearly 3,000 votes from the Chhapra constituency in Bihar.

The actor-singer-politician's poor show is in line with that of his party, which is leading only in 29 seats despite contesting 143 - the highest among the major parties. 

Khesari Yadav, aka Shatrughan Yadav, had found himself at the centre of a controversy in the run-up to the Bihar elections with a statement on the Ram Mandir. 

"Will I become a teacher, professor, or officer after studying at the Ram Temple? No. The Ram Temple is a matter of faith, which is a different matter. But work must be done for education. The country runs on education," the 39-year-old had said. 

"After crossing 150 and 175 seats, we're now moving towards 200...I would like to quote a line of Kabir Das for the Congress, they should understand that "Bura jo dekhan main chala, bura na milya koi. Jo mann khoja apna, to mujhse bura na koi..."

Congress' Ashok Gehlot blamed the Election Commission for being a "mook darshak (mute spectator)" as Rs 10,000 was being distributed while the polls were on, suggesting that it was a form of "vote chori (vote theft)", something Rahul Gandhi has been campaigning against.

"EC mookdarshak bana raha, usne kyun nahi roka. 10,000 bat rahe the chunav chalte hue, rokna chahiye tha, roka hi nahi unhone... Iska matlab jo Rahul Gandhi vote chori ki baat kar rahe the, vote chori kya hota hai, yahi toh hota hai (EC was a mute spectator. Why did it not stop when Rs 10,000 was being distributed while the polls were on? It did not stop it. Rahul Gandhi has been speaking about vote theft. What is vote theft? This is vote theft," said Gehlot, who is a poll observer for the Congress in Bihar.

While keeping a hawk's eye on the early trends, singer and BJP candidate Maithili Thakur joined NDTV's special coverage on the Bihar Assembly Election results and requested that her favourite breakfast - Litti Chokha - be sent to her.

"Please pack some Litti Chokha and send it for me," she told NDTV's Editor-in-Chief Rahul Kanwal.

"Dahi chooda (or dahi chura) is the traditional breakfast of Mithila but I don't eat curd and milk," Thakur said as she revealed she is lactose intolerant. "My brothers eat it (Litti Chokha) every day before leaving home. Sattu (powder made out of black chana) is also eaten for breakfast," she added.

When asked about the song on her mind, Thakur sang a celebratory song: "Badhiya baaje angne me....."

On the latest trends showing the NDA taking the lead, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said: "It's a question of leading at the moment. They are leading by a rather large margin. But let's wait for the Election Commission to discuss and disclose the results. I am sure that the party has a responsibility to study in detail the causes. But remember, we were not the senior partner in the alliance and that RJD also has to look carefully at its own performance. But I will say that on a matter like this, it's very important that we look at the totality of our performance. Elections are about a number of factors..."

BJP supporters sing and dance outside the party headquarters in Delhi.

Four and a half hours into the counting of votes cast in the high-voltage Bihar election, the main opposition RJD's score is a sorry sight. The Tejashwi Yadav-led party, which contested 143 seats, is now leading in only 32 seats. If these numbers hold, it would be a massive setback for RJD, which finished as the single largest party in the 2020 state polls.

Also, this would be the RJD's second-worst showing in a Bihar election. In the 2005 Assembly polls, when Nitish Kumar came to power in Bihar after a thumping NDA victory, the RJD had won 55 seats. At the time, Tejashwi Yadav's mother, Rabri Devi, was the Chief Minister, and RJD was facing mounting anti-incumbency in the hinterland state. A resurgent Nitish Kumar had teamed up with the BJP and scored a thumping win, ending the RJD's rule in Bihar. The RJD's worst show came in the next election in 2010, when RJD managed just 22 seats. Click here to read more

The Congress must focus on its organization, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has asserted, amid assessments within the party to find the shortcomings that led to Bihar drubbing. The party is expected to win just six seats, as against the 19 it had won last time, shows the latest data.

"Congress needs to pay special attention to its organization. Today's election is about intensive public contact at the polling booth, not rallies and public meetings," said Singh, a former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, and congratulated the winners.

Lauding Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's "charismatic" leadership for early trends predicting a repeat of NDA government in Bihar, JD(U) leader KC Tyagi said that from the beginning, his party has been saying that they would get approx 80 seats in the polls.

"Even before the elections began, it was said that JD(U) would win around 80 seats. This became possible due to the charismatic leadership of Nitish Kumar. RJD+ sometimes says that they will score a bumper victory in Bihar, but when the results come, they say that the Election Commission is at fault, the EVMs are faulty, SIR is at fault," he told ANI.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also hit out at the Centre over the SIR exercise in Bihar. "The game that SIR played in Bihar will no longer be possible in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, UP, and other places now because this electoral conspiracy has been exposed. From now on, we will not let them play this game. Like CCTV, our 'PPTV' meaning 'PDA Sentinel' will stay vigilant and thwart the BJP's intentions. BJP is not a party, it is deceit," he said in a post on X in Hindi.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav - the opposition's chief ministerial candidate - teetered briefly on the edge of a humiliating defeat from the family bastion of Raghopur in the 2025 Bihar election.

However, as dramatic a story as his defeat would have been, it must surely be eclipsed by the identity of his opponent. For, you see, 15 years ago, in Raghopur, Satish Kumar delivered a powerful shock to the Rashtriya Janata Dal, defeating Lalu Yadav's wife, Rabri Devi.

So, who is the giant-killer threatening to repeat his feat?

Satish Kumar, 59, started his political career with the RJD.

An influential leader in the Yadav community - which accounts for around 15 per cent of the state's population - he switched to Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United in 2005 and was fielded from Raghopur. The first round, though, went to Rabri Devi; she won that poll by 25,000+ votes. Click here to read more

Here is where the political parties stand, as counting of votes continue in Bihar.

As the latest trends showed the NDA crossing the majority mark in Bihar, Congress MP Manickam Tagore said: "SIR was done in Bihar right before the elections. Sixty lakh voters were deleted in the exercise. 10% of total voters were deleted, and a majority of them were opposition voters. SIR, right before elections, has become another medium of vote 'chori'... The BJP and JD(U) are able to win only because of the SIR... SIR is a very big weapon to murder democracy... Everyone in Bihar wants change, but how is it not visible in the elections? The Election Commission is sold. Election Commission is working with the BJP..."

Union Minister Piyush Goyal said the NDA candidates were leading in most assembly constituencies as counting of votes continued in Bihar, with people reposing confidence in the ruling alliance's leadership.

He said the election leads may change for the better.

"181 seats out of 243 where the NDA candidates are leading as of now, and it seems this could change for the better. Thank you very much to the people of Bihar and India for their faith in PM Modi's leadership, and that of the National Democratic Alliance, our leader, Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar and for their commitment to India's story of Viksit Bharat 2047," he said.

"We still have hope, situation can change. There are 20 rounds of counting, they are still on third-fourth round," Congress MP Tariq Anwar told NDTV on the latest trends. 

This year's Bihar elections will be remembered for an NDA sweep and the potent combination of JDU chief Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but it will also be marked as the time a young leader truly established himself in the state after the era of the socialist icons.

Having bargained hard to get 29 constituencies for his Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) in the top-heavy NDA, party chief Chirag Paswan appears to have proved his mettle by leading in 22 - a strike rate of nearly 75%. The fact that this comes after the party won all five seats it contested in the Lok Sabha last year and had almost been written off after the 2020 Assembly elections will only help build Paswan's political capital.

In 2020, the then-united LJP contested independently because of differences with JDU chief Nitish Kumar and won only one of the over 130 seats it contested.  Even though the party managed to get a decent vote share and played spoiler for the JDU in several seats, many political analysts thought Chirag did not have the charisma and political acumen to carry forward the legacy of his father, Ram Vilas Paswan, seen as a colossus in Bihar politics. Click here to read more

With the Nitish Kumar-led NDA set to return to power in Bihar, as per latest trends, posters hailing the Chief Minister were spotted in Bihar.

The Congress blamed the Election Commission for the poor performance in the Bihar elections. 

"The contest is directly between the Election Commission of India and the people of Bihar, and let's see who wins. I'm not even talking about parties. I'm talking about a direct, straight contest between CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the people of Bihar..," he said.

He added: "These are just early trends, we're waiting a bit. The initial trends certainly suggest that Gyanesh Kumar is gaining an upper hand over the people of Bihar... I can't underestimate the people of Bihar. They have shown courage. They showed it despite the SIR. Now, let's see in the coming hours how effective Gyanesh Kumar will be."

Taking a swipe at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, BJP's Amit Malviya wrote on X: "Rahul Gandhi! Another election, another defeat! If there were awards for electoralconsistency, he'd sweep them all. At this rate, even setbacks must be wondering how he finds them so reliably." 

RJD's Osama Shahab, son of Mohammad Shahabuddin, is once again leading in Ragunathpur, according to the Election Commission.

In a post on X, Jan Suraaj party said in Hindi: "This election turned out to be a 10,000-rupee election. We sold our votes for a mere 200 rupees per month. When will we understand that our vote is worth far more than this." 

The sub-coalition of Left parties in Mahagathbandhan contributed to a disastrous showing by the opposition alliance Friday in the 2025 Bihar Assembly election.

The Communist Party of India and two splinter groups, CPI Marxist-Leninist and CPI Marxist, contested 29 seats between themselves in 2020 and won 16, i.e., a 55 per cent return.

A similarly strong showing would have been very welcome in this election, particularly with increased pressure on its bigger allies - the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress. 

That, however, has not happened. At 11 am the Left front was only leading in eight, despite having contested 33 seats this time and teetered on the edge of a whitewash.

Celebrations have broken out at JD(U) office in Patna.

"...The results have proven that 'Tiger Abhi Zinda Hai' and he will work even better now. This is a victory for the public of Bihar. It is clear that a double-engine government is going to be formed here. Congratulations to the voters here. The people trust PM Modi and Nitish Kumar. BJP-NDA workers have worked hard and the speed of development will further pick up pace," BJP MP Deepak Prakash said.

When the dust from the 2025 Bihar election settles, one of the parties that may come out as a big loser is Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM.

The party had pulled off a stunner last time, winning five seats, all of them in the Seemanchal region of the state. 

Comprising four districts - Araria, Katihar, Kishanganj and Purnea -  the region has 24 Assembly seats and a large portion of the state's Muslim population. The AIMIM was, thus, pinning its hopes on this region to stay relevant in the state. As things stand at 10.40 am on Friday, however, the party is leading in only two seats in the region and indeed all of Bihar.

The two seats are Balrampur in the Katihar district and Baisi in Purnea. Balrampur, incidentally, is not one of the constituencies where the party had won last time. Barring Baisi, the AIMIM is currently trailing in all four seats - Amour, Bahadurganj, Jokihat and Kochadhaman - where it had emerged victorious in 2020. 

Here is the latest data on the ongoing counting of votes in Bihar.

Janshakti Janta Dal leader Tej Pratap Yadav is also trailing, by more than 10,700 votes, in Mahua.

Nitish Kumar's JDU has made huge gains in this Bihar election and is surging ahead as the single-largest party in the early rounds of counting. At 10:55 am, JDU is leading in 84 of the 101 seats it contested. Its ally BJP is performing strongly and is ahead on 80 seats. The NDA tally has crossed the 185 mark, and if these numbers hold, the alliance will comfortably form the government. Several rounds of counting are left, and these numbers may swing anytime.

As for the Opposition, RJD is leading in 37 seats and Congress in 7. Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party, much touted as the wild card in this election, is ahead in only one seat. The strong showing by the JDU shows it remains a formidable force in Bihar's political landscape and Nitish Kumar's popularity and governance record is a vote-puller even after 20 years of incumbency.

RJD's Osama Shahab, son of Mohammad Shahabuddin, is now trailing in Ragunathpur, according to the Election Commission.

As the NDA crossed the majority mark, Union Minister and HAM (Secular) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi said: "This is not unexpected. We were saying from the beginning that the NDA will form the government with a thumping majority and Nitish Kumar will be the Chief minister. We are heading towards that. Going by the trends, we will not be anywhere less than 160 seats. They (Mahagathbandhan) will be restricted to 70-80 seats. Nitish Kumar hi banenge mukhyamnatri..."

Osama Shahab, the RJD candidate in Raghunathpur constituency of Bihar's Siwan district, does not speak much during rallies. He doesn't need to. His name is his biggest poll slogan.

Shahab is the son of former Siwan MP and bahubali (strongman), late Mohammad Shahabuddin. Convicted in multiple cases, including a double murder, Shahabuddin died in 2021 due to COVID-19-related complications. After serving four terms as an MP, Shahabuddin was disqualified from contesting elections owing to his conviction in a criminal case. But even if he was not in the fray, his shadow loomed large during every election.

This is the first Assembly election in Bihar following the don's death. And his son, Osama, is the candidate. The ruling NDA has used Osama's choice to accuse the RJD of encouraging criminalisation in politics. It has also reminded the people of the situation in Siwan when Shahabuddin's influence was at its peak. BJP leaders have also said that the RJD-Congress-led Mahagathbandhan plans to bring Jungle Raj back in Bihar. The RJD, however, has still chosen him as its candidate. In fact, RJD's Hari Shankar Yadav, who won Raghunathpur in 2015 and 2020, vacated the seat for Shahab. Click here to read more

BJP's Mangal Pandey is leading in Siwan seat. 

BJP national spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said: "The result is clearly visible. We are going to win. The people of Bihar have faith in PM Modi, Nitish Kumar and the NDA. The people have voted in favour of the 20 years of government..."

RJD's Osama Shahab, son of Mohammad Shahabuddin, is leading in Ragunathpur by 725 votes, according to the Election Commission.

Two hours into counting for the high-voltage Bihar elections, the NDA has surged ahead and the RJD is lagging behind in early trends. At 10.19 am, the Tejashwi Yadav-led RJD is leading in 59 seats, the BJP and JDU in 71 each, and the Congress in 14. These are, however, early trends, and the numbers may change as the counting proceeds. 

In this election, the RJD contested 143 out of the 243 Assembly seats and the Congress 61 seats. The remaining seats were distributed among other Mahagathbandhan allies, including the Left parties and Mukesh Sahni's Vikassheel Insaan Party.  As for NDA, the BJP and JDU are contesting 101 seats each. Chirag Paswan's LJP (Ram Vilas), Jitan Ram Manjhi's Ham (S), and Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha are the other NDA players. 

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav - the opposition's chief ministerial candidate - declared himself confident of victory Friday morning as counting for the Bihar election began. "We are going to win. Thanks to everyone. A change is about to come. We are forming the government," he said.

Yadav, accompanied by father and party founder Lalu Prasad Yadav and his sister, Lok Sabha MP Misa Bharti, stepped out of his Patna home minutes before counting started. Tejashwi Yadav is contesting from the family stronghold of Raghopur and faces the BJP's Satish Kumar as his possible main rival.

As per the Election Commission, the NDA has crossed the majority mark and is leading on 140 seats, the JD(U) on 62, BJP o 59, LJP(RV) on 15 and HAM(Secular) on four. The Mahagathbandhan is leading on 46 seats -- RJD 34, Congress 10, CPI(ML) two.

While Anant Singh, a political strongman and the JD(U)'s candidate from Mokama is behind bars in a murder case, posters in his constituency have emerged in his favour ahead of the Bihar Assembly Election results.

Referring to Anant Singh's possible release, one of the posters read: "Jail ka faatak tootega, hamara sher chootega (The prison gates will break, our lion will be released)."

"Nothing can be said based on this... We accept the primary values of democracy but we are confident of forming government in the state..," Congress leader Avinash Pandey said as the initial trends showed the Mahagathbandhan trailing.

Trends at 10am show the NDA is leading in 162 seats and the Mahagathbandhan in 77 seats.

A view of the BJP state office decked up with banners in Patna. (PTI)

Purnea - BJP

Baisi - BJP

Amour - AIMIM

Banmankhi - BJP

Rupauli - RJD

Dhamdaha - RJD

Kasba - Congress

Katihar - BJP

Kadwa - JD(U)

Balrampur - AIMIM

Pranpur - RJD

Manihari - Congress

Barari - JD(U)

Korha - BJP

Araria - JD(U)

Forbesganj - Congress

Raniganj - RJD

Sikti - BJP

Jokihat - JD(U)

Narpatganj - BJP

Kishanganj - Congress

Bahadurganj - Congress

Thakurganj - RJD

Kochadhaman - RJD

On the initial trends showing a victory for the NDA in Bihar, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said: "Bihar had decided that a government of anarchy will not be formed.. The youth of Bihar is intelligent.. This is the victory of development.. We have won Bihar.. Now it is Bengal's turn." 

West Bengal is slated to go to the polls next year.

Counting for the assembly elections in 243 constituencies in Bihar started on Friday. A majority mark of 122 constituencies is needed to win the election. The early trends have started coming in, showing the BJP and JD*U)-led NDA maintaining a considerable lead over the opposition alliance- the Mahagathbandhan.

The trends show the NDA leading with over 100 seats while the MGB is leading in 67 seats. One of the key constituencies in Bihar is Mahua, which is seeing a close fight between Tej Pratap Yadav's party-Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD), the Mahagathbandhan's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen's (AIMIM).

Folk singer and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Maithili Thakur, who is contesting her first election, is leading in the Alinagar constituency, early trends show. The poll debutant joined the BJP a month before the assembly elections to "serve Bihar".

As the initial trends gave the NDA an edge over the Mahagathbandhan, RJD National Spokesperson Kanchana Yadav said in a post in X on Hindi: "What a crazy game is going on. The Election Commission is updating seats where BJP is ahead, but not for RJD."

Poll strategist Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj - which exit polls said would flop on its electoral debut - had a surpisingly trong start as counting began for the 2025 Bihar election Friday morning, with initial leads putting the party ahead in three seats. The Jan Suraaj is contesting 239 of Bihar's 243 seats.

Exit polls had given Kishor's Jan Suraaj a thumbs down; NDTV's poll of exit polls suggested the party would win only one seat. But it could still play a big role in settling this Bihar election, particularly if it steals critical vote share from the opposition Mahagathbandhan alliance.

One exit poll, Peoples Pulse, predicted the Jan Suraaj could scoop up nearly 10 per cent of the votes - more than the Congress - which would be an excellent return for a party making its election debut.

One hour into counting for the high-voltage Bihar election, the BJP and the RJD are neck and neck in very early trends. The NDA, however, has taken the lead over Mahagathbandhan, thanks to BJP ally JDU's strong show and RJD ally Congress's poor performance. At 9.09 am, the Tejashwi Yadav-led RJD is leading in 56 seats, the BJP in 55, Nitish Kumar's JD(U) in 45 seats, and the Congress in seven. These are, however, very early trends, and the numbers may change as the counting proceeds. 

The Congress, which has had a poor track record in Bihar, is expected to flop once again in the state that went to polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11.

Early trends show the Congress, which is contesting 61 seats, leading only on 10 - nine seats down from what it won in the last elections. Tejashwi Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is leading on 55 out of 143 seats, CPI(ML) Liberation leading on three out of 20 seats, and the CPI on one out of nine seats. The Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP), which is contesting 12 seats, is leading on only one.

According to the Election Commission, JD(U)'s Anant Kumar Singh leads in Mokama by 2, 716 votes after the first round of counting; RJD's Veena Devi trails.

"As much as I have seen during the campaigning, there needs to be a change in Bihar. It is not appropriate to react to the initial trends. I am confident that the results will be in favour of the Mahagathbandhan..," Congress leader Akhilesh Prasad Singh said.

The BJP is preparing to celebrate its poll victory, through the preparations of several sweets.

1. BJP's Nitish Mishra is leading in Jhanjharpur

2. BJP's Sujit Paswan is leading in Rajnagar

3. RJD's Brajkishore Yadav is ahead in Khajauli

4. JDU's Sudhanshu is ahead in Harlakhi

5. Nalini Ranjan Jha of the Congress is leading in Benipatti

6. Meena Kamat of the JD(U) is leading in Babubarhi

7. Shiela Mandal is leading in Phulparas

8. JD(U) is leading in Laukaha

9. BJP's Haribhushan Thakur Bachaul is leading in Bisfi

10. BJP's Awadhesh Singh is leading in Hajipur

Deputy Chief Minister and BJP candidate from Lakhisarai seat Vijay Kumar Sinha told reporters: "What was anticipated is now turning into results. The trust that the people of Bihar have placed in (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and (Chief Minister) Nitish Kumar will give the country a new direction. Appu (in an apparent refence to Akhilesh Yadav) and Pappu (in an apparent reference to Rahul Gandhi) spread an atmosphere of madness without thinking, so no one takes their words seriously. Our results will be better than what the exit polls predicted." 

The 2025 assembly election in Bihar could lead to a massive shift in Bihar, at least for the BJP, if exit polls have got it right. The party, exit polls predict, could emerge as the single largest party in the state, cementing its position as the "Big Brother" in the NDA. 

The BJP will win between 67 and 70 seats, exit polls predict, way ahead of the 56-69 Lalu Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal - the single largest party in 2020 - can expect, the exit polls have concluded. 

While this will make it the highest scorer, it is still way below the bar the RJD set last time with its 75 seats. But it would definitely be more than Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United can expect - 58 to 71 seats. 

The average score for BJP is 69 seats and that of the JD(U) is 62 seats.  The RJD could end up with 63 seats. Click here to read more

Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Samrat Choudhary is currently leading in Tarapur.

Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj party is currently leading in three seats.

"Nitish Kumar is going to become the Chief Minister. The people who used to marginalise Nitish Kumar have now understood what Nitish Kumar is..," Bihar Minister Ashok Chaudhary said.

On the initial trends, Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal told NDTV: "We are happy with the initial trends. The 160 number is a magic figure for us. The fact that Tejashwi said he will form the government only shows his arrogance." 

Bihar's OBC and Scheduled Caste communities have voted in favour of the ruling alliance, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United, according to exit poll data released Tuesday evening.

An exit poll by Matrize said 51 per cent of OBC voters and 49 per cent of SC voters opted for Nitish Kumar and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance.

Conversely, a staggering 78 per cent of Muslim voters chose the opposition Mahagathbandhan, which is led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Tejashwi Yadav, and includes the Congress. Click here to read more

On RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav's statement that the Mahagathbandhan will form the next government in Bihar, JD(U) leader Neeraj Kumar said: "Maybe he was talking about his seat that there will be a change in Raghopur... Nitish Kumar is a social reformer; he is not just a politician... The NDA is going to form the government and the JD(U) will have a major role in it..."

Early trends are also showing that singer Maithili Thakur, who is making her poll debut, is leading in Alinagar.

Early trends also show that RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who is the Mahagathbandhan's Chief Ministerial candidate, is leading in Raghopur. 

In Makoma, JD(U)'s Anant Singh is leading in the postal ballot counting, as per early trends.  Congress candidate Amita Bhushan is leading in Begusarai assembly.

Mahagathbandhan's Chief Ministerial face and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav said: "We are going to win. Thanks to everyone. A change is about to come. We are forming the government." 

Counting of votes has began across Bihar.

Bihar's OBC and Scheduled Caste communities have voted in favour of the ruling alliance, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United, according to exit poll data released Tuesday evening.

An exit poll by Matrize said 51 per cent of OBC voters and 49 per cent of SC voters opted for Nitish Kumar and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance.

Conversely, a staggering 78 per cent of Muslim voters chose the opposition Mahagathbandhan, which is led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Tejashwi Yadav, and includes the Congress. Click here to read more

Jalebi, sattu ka parantha are being served at the BJP headquarters in Delhi, ahead of counting of votes in Bihar.

BJP's Maithili Thakur, contesting her first election, told NDTV she is "mentally ready" to serve the people of Bihar as exit polls predicted a big win for the National Democratic Alliance or NDA.

"I don't think for even a second whether I will win or lose because I am so happy and satisfied with my 30-day journey. I have complete faith. I feel like I will be living here and serving people, so I am mentally prepared for that," Maithili Thakur told NDTV's Editor-in-Chief Rahul Kanwal. 

The 25-year-old, a celebrated Maithili folk singer, said contesting the polls was the "best decision of my life". 

"I think this was the best decision of my life. And the way I have learnt in these 30 days by living among people, I could not have learnt this from any book or any other source, and this one month has changed my entire life," Thakur, who is contesting from Alinagar constituency of Darbhanga, told NDTV when asked about her experience of contesting polls.

A 111-year-old woman, Nasima Khatun, on Tuesday cast her vote at a polling booth in Chhatapur assembly constituency in Supaul district in the second phase of the Bihar polls, exhibiting her commitment to the democratic exercise.

"I have cast my vote and fulfilled my duty," Nasima Khatun, who was in a wheelchair, told ANI after casting her ballot.

Officials said she is the oldest voter in the Sapaul district.

Gaya Town Senior Superintendent of Police Anand Kumar said: "All necessary preparations have been made. There is a three-layer security around every strong room. Adequate Central Armed Police Forces have been deployed at all entrances and sensitive areas nearby. Ten motorcycle QRTs have been deployed across the city and adjacent areas; about 200 jawans are patrolling continuously. Our District Control Room is functional. The situation is good everywhere. We are ready to conduct the counting of votes peacefully. The Model Code of Conduct is in effect, so victory processions are not allowed. Section 163 of BNS is in place; unnecessary gathering of more than four people at one place is prohibited..."

One interesting prediction by pollsters is that the Jan Suraaj Party, which is just over a year old, will get a 9.7% vote share, one percentage point more than India's oldest political party, the Congress. The party is also estimated to surpass the 9.6% vote share that the Congress had managed to get in 2020, which had netted it 19 seats. 

Prashant Kishor's party, however, has been given a maximum of only five seats by Peoples Pulse, indicating that the vote share will not translate to wins in constituencies.

Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) is likely to make its presence felt this time in Bihar, exit polls have suggested. His party, exit polls suggested, is likely to win 11 of the 29 seats it contested.  While the figure is less than half, it could substantially add to the NDA score -- which, an aggregate of nine exit polls show -- could be 147. The figure comprises 60 per cent of the state's 243 seats.

In 2020, the LJP ran independently and won just one of the 137 seats it contested, pushing political experst to write him off. But the party had managed to eat into the votes of Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United, bringing it down from the 71 seats it got in 2015 to just 43. 

Exit polls do not always get it right. But the LJP(RV) is hoping that they garner enough of a score to demand the post of Nitish Kumar's deputy.

Chirag Paswan had earlier said that if the NDA manages a decent score, his party would stake claim to the biggest post after the Chief Minister.