Mahagathbandhan vs NDA: Counting of votes for Bihar Assembly polls to begin shortly

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Mahagathbandhan remain locked in a close contest for the 243-member House, where the majority mark is 122.

Early projections indicate the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may emerge as the single largest party, strengthening its position within the NDA.

Exit polls suggest the BJP could secure 67–70 seats, ahead of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which is projected to win 56–69 seats.

This would be a decline from the RJD’s 2020 tally of 75 seats but signals a shift in Bihar’s political landscape.

The Janata Dal (United), led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, is expected to win 58–71 seats, marginally behind the BJP in most projections.

On average, exit polls show the BJP at 69 seats, JD(U) at 62, and the RJD at 63, indicating a tight race for second place.

Nitish Kumar, already Bihar’s longest-serving chief minister, stands to further consolidate his position with a favourable outcome.

A strong performance by the BJP would also mark a reversal of the 2020 scenario, when the JD(U) had more seats and held the lead position within the alliance.

The BJP’s rising influence has been evident since 2020, following Chirag Paswan’s split from the NDA—an event that weakened the JD(U), reducing its strength to 43 seats in that election.