As counting began for the Bihar Assembly elections on Friday morning, the BJP and JD(U) emerged as the main contenders for the largest party position, with both parties locked in a close contest even as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) held a strong statewide lead.
According to the Election Commission of India’s 11:15 a.m. update, the JD(U) was ahead in 79 constituencies, while the BJP had taken a slight edge with leads in 83 seats. Combined, the NDA was leading in 188 Assembly segments, with the Mahagathbandhan trailing considerably at 44 seats.
Early Counting Under Tight Security
Counting for all 243 constituencies began at 8 a.m., starting with postal ballots before Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) votes were taken up at 8.30 a.m. The process is underway with multiple layers of security in place, including CAPF guarding the inner perimeters and state police managing the outer zones.
Candidates across both blocs voiced confidence as trends began to stabilise. Leaders from the NDA credited their performance to public approval of “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guarantees” and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s developmental work in the state.
Mahagathbandhan Claims ‘Vote for Change’
The Mahagathbandhan, spearheaded by the RJD, maintained that the “people of Bihar had voted for change” and expressed belief that Tejashwi Yadav could take charge of the next government depending on later rounds of counting.
Supervision at counting centres has been assigned to 243 Returning Officers and an equal number of Counting Observers appointed by the Election Commission. Over 18,000 counting agents representing various candidates are present at the centres to ensure transparency.
Access to the centres has been restricted to those with valid passes, and the use of mobile phones inside counting halls has been entirely prohibited.
More than 7 crore voters participated in the two-phase election held on November 6 and 11, determining the future of both the ruling NDA and the Opposition alliance. In the outgoing Assembly, the NDA holds 131 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan and other Opposition parties collectively occupy 111.