Reacting to the sweeping early trends in favour of the NDA, senior Congress leader and Bihar observer Ashok Gehlot criticised the counting-day developments, alleging misuse of money power and inaction by the Election Commission.
“Bihar results are disappointing, no doubt. Women were being given ₹10,000 even during the campaign. The EC kept quiet. Why didn’t they stop it?” Gehlot said, claiming the trends only validate Rahul Gandhi’s accusation of “vote chori.”
He added that the opposition had raised concerns throughout the campaign but “no corrective step was taken,” calling the emerging verdict “deeply troubling for democracy.”
As counting gathers momentum in the Bihar Assembly elections, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has raced far ahead of the opposition, signalling what may turn into one of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s strongest victories to date. Early trends suggest that the JD(U)-BJP partnership, boosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s widespread popularity appears on course for a sweeping mandate in the 243-member Assembly.
By 11:45 am, Election Commission data showed the NDA leading in 188 seats. The BJP had taken the lead in 85 constituencies, followed by the JD(U) in 75, the LJP in 22, HAM in 4 and the RLM in 3.
On the other hand, the Mahagathbandhan continued to trail, with the RJD leading in 36 seats, the Congress in 6, CPI(ML) in 7, and CPI(M) and VIP in one seat each. Outside the two main blocs, the BSP was ahead in one constituency, while AIMIM led in three.
Counting trends from Mahua show Tej Pratap Yadav slipping sharply, as LJP(RV) candidate Sanjay Kumar Singh widens his lead with over 12,800 votes. RJD’s Mukesh Kumar Raushan holds second place, while AIMIM’s Amit Kumar is third. Tej Pratap is struggling with just a little over 2,100 votes.
By 11:45 am, the Nitish-led NDA has surged to 188 seats, with the BJP and JD(U) leading the alliance’s strong performance. The Mahagathbandhan remains far behind at 51 seats. Early trends indicate a sweeping mandate for Nitish Kumar, signalling voter approval for the NDA’s governance model.
Early counting shows the NDA leading in at least 16 Muslim-dominated constituencies, with JD(U) and LJP(RV) posting significant gains. The Mahagathbandhan, despite its heavy focus on jobs and youth issues, is trailing in most of these segments.
As of 11:20 AM, the NDA has further strengthened its position, leading in 193 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan has dropped to just 46 seats.
The BJP has now moved ahead of the JD(U), leading in 84 constituencies, with Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) close behind on 79 seats. In the Mahagathbandhan camp, the RJD holds leads in 33 seats, while both the Congress and CPI(ML) are ahead in 6 seats each.
The NDA continues to maintain a commanding advantage as counting progresses.
Union Minister and HAM(S) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi has reaffirmed support for JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar, saying the ongoing trends clearly point to an NDA victory with a “thumping majority.”
“This is not unexpected. We were confident from the beginning that the NDA would form the government, and Nitish Kumar will be the chief minister,” Manjhi said. He added that the alliance is on track to reach 160 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan may be held to 70–80 seats.
“Nitish Kumar hi banenge mukhyamantri,” he declared.
The Election Commission reports that the NDA has taken a strong lead in 136 seats, moving well past the 122-seat majority mark as counting continues.
Early counting trends released by the Election Commission indicate that the JD(U), led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, is currently outperforming the BJP and all other parties in Bihar. With leads steadily climbing across multiple constituencies, the JD(U) has positioned itself as the largest party in the ongoing tally.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as a whole has secured a strong edge over the Mahagathbandhan, which is banking on Tejashwi Yadav to return to power. Despite trailing in several key seats, the Mahagathbandhan maintains that final results may still shift as vote counting progresses.
The ECI continues to update trends as counting of EVM votes accelerates across all 243 constituencies.