Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 Live Updates: Early trends show NDA leading in early trends, having crossed 189 mark. The Opposition Mahagathbandhan is at only 50. BJP’s Alinagar candidate Maithili Thakur is leading by 8544 with 22236 votes. So far, it has been a one-sided contest, with the ruling NDA extending its lead by the minute. Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party, which claimed to be an alternative option for voters, failed to get a look-in till 11 am on the leads/trailing list. JD(U) supporters are seen celebrating, distributing sweets at Patna office.
Bihar Election Results 2025 LIVE: Follow Counting Updates Here
Who are contesting? The Mahagathbandhan hopes to break JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar’s two-decade run as Bihar Chief Minister, while the NDA hopes to continue to helm the state. While the RJD in alliance with the JD(U) won the 2015 Bihar elections, the alliance broke soon after. Now, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, supported by the Congress, is fighting to break the RJD’s electoral jinx. Key candidates include Bijendra Prasad Yadav, a veteran JD(U) leader and the most senior member of the state cabinet, who seeks to retain his Supaul seat for a record eighth term.
Women outvote men: Against the overall turnout of a record 66.91%, the voting percentage among women voters was 71.6 per cent, as much as 8.8 percentage points more than the 62.8% turnout among men and the largest ever gap. In terms of absolute numbers too, women appear to have out-voted men in Bihar, which would be a first for the state.
BJP MP Jagdambika Pal said, "NDA is leading on approx 192 seats and Mahagathbandhan stands at less than 50 seats. This makes it clear that the people of Bihar have finished the Mahagathbandhan in the state... Looking at the trends, it becomes clear that the roots of the BJP-NDA run deep across all parts of Bihar..."
As early trends show NDA leading with massive numbers, crossing 180 mark, a poster celebrating the moment emerges.
A poster of CM Nitish Kumar, reading âHumre Bihar Ka Eke Star, Har Baar Nitish Kumarâ¦â, is displayed in Patna. Watch
BJP candidate from Alinagar Assembly seat and folk singer Maithili Thakur sings a âbadhai geetâ as early trends show her leading in her constituency.
Visuals show JD(U) party workers celebrating early trends at the party office in Patna with sweets being distributed and firecrackers bursting, reflecting their joy and confidence.
As NDA leads the early trends of Bihar assembly polls, crossing the majority mark in the first two hours, party leaders hailed the massive numbers, with some saying that the people of Bihar have given a huge mandate to the "development-focused policies" of PM Narendra Modi and CM Nitish Kumar.
The Opposition, Mahagathbandhan, however, didn't lose hope as it struggled to match the NDA tally, saying the early trends were not reflective of the final results that were to come.
BJP leader Prem Shukla praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies, saying he has transformed Bihar and redefined it, reported PTI.
“The people of Bihar have given a massive mandate to the development-oriented policies of PM Narendra Modi. He has transformed Bihar and redefined it. On the other hand, the opposition made fake promises like ‘sarkari naukri har ghar mein’ (government jobs in every home). These promises are not possible even if we increase Bihar budget by four times.”
The Congress party, which is a part of Mahagathbandhan, said that early trends do not reflect the final results, which will be announced soon.
Congress MP Manoj Kumar, said that people in the state were looking for political change. “People will surely bring change in Bihar,” he said, adding that early trends were not an accurate reflection of the final outcome.
Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Ram on Friday raised doubts over the "integrity" of the counting process even as Election Commission trends placed the NDA comfortably ahead of the Mahagathbandhan.
The Election Commission's numbers delivered a sweeping early advantage to the ruling alliance. By late morning, the NDA had crossed the 166-seat mark, while the Mahagathbandhan lagged at 56, signalling a sharp tilt in favour of the BJP-led coalition.
NDA leads in 166 seats with BJP ahead in 72, JD(U) in 71; INDIA bloc leads in 56 seats with RJD ahead in 42, Congress in 8: EC - PTI
In a veiled swipe at RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, senior JD(U) leader Ashok Choudhary warned that politics in Bihar was sliding into a "dangerous combination of immaturity and raw desperation", a mix he said is now becoming "lethal".
Choudhary's remarks came as counting of votes was underway for the Bihar assembly elections, with early trends showing that the NDA was leading in 51 seats.
Speaking to PTI VIDEO in Patna, he expressed concern that certain political leaders appeared inclined to “keep resetting again and again, and bringing policies without adequate foresight, ideological grounding". - PTI
Expressing confidence in the INDIA blocâs victory as counting progresses in Bihar, RJD spokesperson Sarika Paswan says, âNDA will have to deliver their sweets at our office after 2 pm."
With early trends showing an edge for the NDA in the Bihar election results, BJP state president Dilip Kumar Jaiswal said, âIt was clear from the peopleâs mood that the NDA is again forming the government. Under the leadership of PM Modi and CM Nitish Kumar, people have shown trust in the NDAâs guarantee⦠The peopleâs mandate will be in our favour.â
BJP spokesperson Shivam Tyagi Friday said, âNDA is showing great performance even in ballot papers. The way i have seen the trends, NDA has crossed the majority.â
The ECI Vote-counting trends for 95 seats are out. Check out the table below for the leads by various parties at 9:40 AM. ECI data shows an NDA ahead in 67 seats and the Mahagathbandhan leading on 26 seats in Bihar.
Reacting to early trends that show an edge for the NDA in the Bihar election results, JD(U) working president Sanjay Jha said, âI think the NDA will win by a big margin, and the result is moving exactly in the direction we expected. The way PM Modi campaigned and the way the Chief Minister showed determination, our victory is certain. The Mahagathbandhan leaders were busy sharing portfolios even before the results, unaware of the ground reality. We were on the ground, and people want Nitish Kumar to be CM again. They (RJD) are talking about turning Bihar into Nepal - this is the kind of absurd language people never forgive. They are frustrated, which is why they are saying such senseless things.â
The counting of votes was underway on Friday morning for 243 assembly seats in Bihar, amid tight security arrangements, officials said.
According to the Election Commission's directions, postal ballot counting would begin first, and counting of EVMs will start at 8.30 am.
The counting of votes polled in the two-phase elections commenced at 8 am across 46 centres in 38 districts, the officials said.
The elections are being seen as a veritable referendum on Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) president and the state's longest-serving chief minister.
Political observers are also of the view that the outcome will be seen in terms of the popularity of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.
Already enthused by most exit polls giving it a clear advantage, the NDA is banking on three factors to retain power comfortably: a better social combination; welfare benefits for women, especially the “dashazari” scheme or the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, under which 1.5 crore prospective women entrepreneurs are eligible to receive Rs 10,000 in the first instalment; and an over-riding Nitish Kumar factor. If this works out, Nitish, who first became CM in October 2005, will take oath for the top job for a record 10th time.
For the NDA, there were a couple of things it had to do in the elections: get the social arithmetic right and play up the development narrative, especially the social welfare schemes. Given the importance of women’s vote in the rise of Nitish Kumar and his two decades in power, the narrative around the “dashazari scheme” and all that the CM has done for women voters over the years became a cornerstone of the NDA’s poll plank. That women have outvoted men by 8.8 percentage points will give the CM and his allies hope.
Watch: Horse-mounted Police personnel carry out patrolling in Patna, as counting for Bihar assembly election begins.
Counting of votes begins across 46 centres for 243 assembly seats in Bihar: Officials.
Counting of votes begins for assembly bypolls in Jharkhand's Ghatshila, Mizoram's Dampa and Nuapada of Odisha: Officials.
On election results, RJD leader and Mahagathbandhan’s CM face Tejashwi Yadav says, “We are going to win. There will be a change this time.
Litti Chokha, Rasgulla and other items being prepared at the residence of RJD leader Veena Devi in Mokama ahead of the beginning of counting of votes for Bihar assembly elections.
Visuals from JD(U)âs Mokama candidate Anant Singhâs residence in Patna.
The results will be announced today.
The Mahagathbandhan hopes to break JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar’s two-decade run as Bihar Chief Minister, while the NDA hopes to continue to helm the state.
While the RJD in alliance with the JD(U) won the 2015 Bihar elections, the alliance broke soon after. Now, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, supported by the Congress, is fighting to break the RJD’s electoral jinx.
Key candidates include Bijendra Prasad Yadav, a veteran JD(U) leader and the most senior member of the state cabinet, who seeks to retain his Supaul seat for a record eighth term.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is likely to retain power in Bihar, as per Axis My India and Today’s Chanakya prediction.
Axis My India predicted NDA to win by a narrow margin with 121 to 141 seats, MGB 98 to 118, JSP 0 to 2 seats while Today’s Chanakya projected BJP a major victory with 160 seats, RJD 77 and Others six seats.
On Tuesday, nine exit polls also projected the NDA to win 147 seats in the 243-member Assembly.
According to the official website of the Election Commission of India (ECI), the counting of votes and the announcement of trends for the Bihar Elections 2025 will commence at 8 am on November 14, with the final results expected to be declared by the evening.
The voter turnout in the second and final phase of the Bihar Assembly Elections, was recorded to be 66.91 per cent, officially the highest-ever voter turnout in the state since 1951, the Election Commission of India said.
With the counting of votes in the Bihar Assembly elections set to take place on Friday, here are five things to watch out for in this keen contest between the incumbent NDA and the Opposition Mahagathbandhan.
Nitish’s leadership
Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar has long been the NDA’s face in Bihar. With the BJP and the JD(U) both allotted 101 seats as part of the NDA’s seat-sharing deal for the state’s 243 seats in the elections, the balance of power appeared to have shifted in the alliance, with the JD(U) no longer remaining the BJP’s senior ally. This indicated that even Nitish’s role may face scrutiny or challenge after the polls.
To retain his position as the NDA’s principal leader in Bihar, Nitish would be dependent on two things: the JD(U)’s own performance and whether the alliance could clinch a clear victory. If the NDA wins comfortably and Nitish retains a strong personal mandate with his party improving its tally as compared to the 2020 polls – when it had won just 43 seats against the BJP’s 74 – his leadership will be reinforced. But if the NDA’s victory is narrow and the BJP outperforms the JD(U), Nitish may see a question mark over his leadership. Read more
The one aspect that will be closely watched as the Bihar Assembly election results come in Friday is the performance of the parties across the five distinct regions of the state – Tirhut, Mithilanchal and Kosi, Saran, Seemanchal and Shahabad.
Seemanchal, with several districts that are Muslim-dominated, is expected to go with the Mahagathbandhan, while Shahabad had in 2020 upset the NDA’s calculations by unexpectedly turning against it. Read Full Report
With the counting of votes in the Bihar Assembly elections set to take place on Friday, here are five things to watch out for in this keen contest between the incumbent NDA and the Opposition Mahagathbandhan.
Nitish’s leadership
Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar has long been the NDA’s face in Bihar. With the BJP and the JD(U) both allotted 101 seats as part of the NDA’s seat-sharing deal for the state’s 243 seats in the elections, the balance of power appeared to have shifted in the alliance, with the JD(U) no longer remaining the BJP’s senior ally. This indicated that even Nitish’s role may face scrutiny or challenge after the polls.
To retain his position as the NDA’s principal leader in Bihar, Nitish would be dependent on two things: the JD(U)’s own performance and whether the alliance could clinch a clear victory. If the NDA wins comfortably and Nitish retains a strong personal mandate with his party improving its tally as compared to the 2020 polls – when it had won just 43 seats against the BJP’s 74 – his leadership will be reinforced. But if the NDA’s victory is narrow and the BJP outperforms the JD(U), Nitish may see a question mark over his leadership. Read Full Report
The opposition INDIA bloc in Bihar, led by its Chief Ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav, on Thursday voiced apprehension of a "conspiracy" during counting of votes for the state assembly polls, allegedly at the behest of the ruling NDA.
At a press conference here hours before the commencement of counting, Yadav, who was accompanied by CPI-ML Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya and AICC in charge for Bihar Krishna Allavaru, among others, appealed to the Election Commission to ensure "impartiality" in counting of votes.
The RJD leader recounted the 2020 assembly elections when, he claimed: "Mahagathbandhan was certain to form the government, but for manipulations by pliant officials".
RJD leader Sunil Kumar was on Thursday booked for making “inflammatory remarks”, a day ahead of the counting of votes polled in the Bihar assembly elections, police said.
Counting will begin at 8 am on Friday at 46 centres across 38 districts of the state.
Speaking to reporters here earlier in the day, Kumar had said, "People have voted for a change. Tejashwi Yadav's government will be formed in 2025. In 2020, the counting was halted for four hours, and if something like that happens this time as well, we will see a Nepal-like situation on the streets... Responsible officials will not be spared " The video of his statement has since gone viral on social media.
(PTI)
The Election Commission has removed the returning officer of Chenari assembly constituency in Bihar ahead of the counting of votes on Friday.
In a statement, CEO Vinod Singh Gunjiyal directed that Lalit Bhushan Ranjan, the returning officer, be immediately relieved from all election-related duties, including the counting process.
However, why Ranjan who is the additional collector-cum-additional district magistrate of Rohtas was removed is not immediately known. The poll panel replaced him with Zafar Hasan, the district land acquisition officer of Rohtas.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made for Friday's counting of votes polled in the Bihar assembly elections, across 46 centres in 38 districts of the state, officials said. Schools in Patna will remain closed on Friday in view of the counting exercise, they said.
Bihar had registered a historic voter turnout of 67.13 per cent in the elections to the 243-member assembly in two phases on November 6 and November 11. A total of 7.45 crore voters were eligible to decide the electoral fate of 2,616 candidates.
“Counting arrangements have been made in all the 243 assembly constituencies. The exercise will be conducted by 243 Returning Officers in the presence of 243 Counting Observers and the candidates or their agents.
(PTI)
Leaders across the political spectrum of Bihar on Thursday held hectic parleys and reviewed last-minute preparations as the state was readying for the counting of votes polled in the recently held high-stakes assembly polls that will decide whether Nitish Kumar, the longest-serving chief minister, will get a record fifth term.
RJD leader and INDIA bloc's CM candidate Tejashwi Yadav said his party workers and the common people were ready to handle "any unconstitutional activity during counting", while a lesser-known RJD leader, Sunil Kumar Singh, threatened that a "Nepal-like situation" would be witnessed on the streets if "counting is halted, like in 2020".
The BJP, on the other hand, said the RJD leaders' remarks expressed their despair as the people, who have sealed their mandate in EVMs, have decided to give another term to the NDA.
(PTI)
In the late 2000s, images from rural Bihar of girls in blue uniforms, astride their cycles, triggered a revolution, building for Nitish an unflinchingly loyal base: the woman voter.
Now, two decades on, with the state in the midst of a crucial election, The Indian Express tracks down some of the early beneficiaries to look at the journey they covered on their cycles — and the road ahead.
Tap here to read more.
Nitish came to power for the first time in 2005 after a hung House following a massive 16.07 percentage point fall in the turnout, and another poll soon after – following brief President's Rule – that saw voting percentage fall further.
Bihar saw an overall 66.91% voter turnout over two phases of polling, which is the highest since the first Assembly elections in the state in 1951, and an increase of 9.62 percentage points over 57.29% in 2020.
Over the past 17 Assembly elections in Bihar, there have been five instances when an increase in the voter turnout was followed by a change in the government.
Elaborate arrangements are in place across all 243 constituencies of Bihar for counting of votes on November 14, the Election Commission said on Thursday. Counting will be conducted by 243 returning officers (ROs) in the presence of 243 counting observers and the candidates or their agents.
As many as 4,372 counting tables staffed with one counting supervisor, counting assistant and micro-observer at each table have been set up, the poll authority said.
More than 18,000 counting agents appointed by the candidates will also oversee the counting process, it pointed out.
Counting will commence at 8 AM and according to the EC's directions, postal ballot counting will begin first. Counting of electronic voting machines (EVMs) will begin thereafter at 8.30 AM.
(PTI)
The district administration in Bihar's Rohtas on Thursday dismissed the opposition RJD's claim that a truck loaded with EVMs entered a counting centre without prior information.
District Magistrate Udita Singh claimed that the truck, which entered the counting centre, was loaded with empty steel boxes.
The RJD had earlier posted a video on X of the counting centre, asking, "Why was a truck allegedly loaded with EVMs allowed to enter a counting centre at Sasaram (Rohtas district) without any prior information? Why was the truck driver not presented before the people? And why was the CCTV camera feed unavailable after 2 pm?" — PTI
Jan Suraaj spokesperson Vivek Kumar says, "We are confident that for the first time in 30-35 years, the people of Bihar are winning. In a state where votes have always been cast based on caste and religion, for the first time in 40 years, the government opened its coffers. There was so much fear that if we (the government) didn't work and didn't open the coffers, people would vote for the new option... these exit polls are all fake. When the EVMs are opened tomorrow, you will see the magic of the public. A new system will be created tomorrow."
For live updates of the trends, you can follow indianexpress.com and our YouTube channel for live coverage of the polls.
You can also check the trends on the official website of ECI on: results.eci.gov.in
According to the official website of the Election Commission of India (ECI), the counting of votes and the announcement of trends for the Bihar Elections 2025 will commence at 8am on Friday (November 14).
Union Minister Giriraj Singh says, "Whether it's Akhilesh Yadav, Lalu Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, or Rahul Gandhi, why would anyone vote for these people in Bihar? Why would anyone vote for a corrupt person like Lalu Yadav, who has lived his entire life solely for his family? He neither helped the poor nor the Yadavs. That is why the people of Bihar have voted for development under the leadership of Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar. We won 206 seats in 2010, and we will win even more than that."
According to the official website of the Election Commission of India (ECI), the counting of votes and the announcement of trends for the Bihar Elections 2025 will commence at 8 am on November 14, with the final results expected to be declared by the evening.
With less than a day to go for the counting of votes, all eyes are on Bihar. Will the results go the exit polls-way?
We'll have to wait and watch.
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