Counting of votes for the crucial Bihar assembly elections began at 8am on Friday, with initial trends indicating the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is ahead in several seats. Voting trends at 09.30am showed the NDA leading in 154 seats and the Mahagathbandhan in 117. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also crossed the 50-mark, leading in 77 seats. The postal ballots are being counted currently.