Bihar Assembly election results 2020 live | NDA retains power in State, RJD emerges as largest party with 75 seats

“Youth of Bihar have made it clear that new decade will be of Bihar and for self-reliant Bihar,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi says in his first reactions on the Bihar results.

November 10, 2020 04:05 am | Updated November 11, 2020 08:58 am IST

Residents watch the Bihar Assembly poll results in Patna on November 10, 2020.

Residents watch the Bihar Assembly poll results in Patna on November 10, 2020.

Surmounting anti-incumbency of 15 years, a mutinous former ally, and a spirited challenge from a resurgent Opposition, Nitish Kumar- led NDA was back in power in Bihar on Wednesday with a slender majority.

The ruling coalition won 125 seats in the 243-member State Assembly against 110 clinched by the Opposition Grand Alliance to pave the way for a fourth successive term for Mr. Kumar in office but with diminished clout following a debilitating slide in the number of JD(U) lawmakers that came down to 43 from 71 in 2015.

Apart from BJP’s 74 seats and JD(U)’s 43, the ruling alliance partners HAM and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) won four seats each.

 

Its defeat notwithstanding, the RJD, whose campaign Tejashwi Yadav, the younger son and heir to party supremo Lalu Prasad helmed, emerged as the single largest party with 75 seats. The biggest gainer was the CPI-ML, which clinched 12 seats, followed by the CPI and CPI-M (two each).

Track live updates on our interactive map.

The three-phase Bihar Assembly poll amid the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent economic slowdown ended on November 7 with around 55% voting for the third and final phase.

Here are the live updates:

4:45 a.m.

NDA overcomes stiff challenge to retain power in Bihar

Surmounting anti-incumbency of 15 years, a mutinous former ally, and a spirited challenge from a resurgent Opposition that rose from its ashes like proverbial phoenix after the 2019 Lok Sabha poll debacle, Nitish Kumar- led NDA was back in power in Bihar on Wednesday with a slender majority.

Despite the slump in numbers, Mr. Kumar, who was declared the NDA’s Chief Ministerial candidate by the BJP brass, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief J P Nadda, is set to take over the reins of the government.

Much of Mr. Kumar’s plight can be blamed on the damage Chirag Paswan’s LJP inflicted on his JD(U). Down in the dumps with just one MLA, the party spoiled the JD(U)’s chances in at least 30 seats.

The drastic fall in the number of JD(U) MLAs, however, will likely make the BJP, which hitherto played a second fiddle to Mr. Kumar, more assertive, and it may insist on a larger share in the ministerial pie and greater say in governance.

Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM emerged as a surprise package of the election, winning five seats. However, the biggest gainer was the CPI-ML, which clinched 12 seats, followed by the CPI and CPI-M (two each). Barring the CPI-ML, which had three seats in the outgoing assembly, none of the Left parties had a presence in the House. - PTI

3:20 a.m.

NDA gets simple majority, RJD records highest vote share

A stellar performance by the BJP enabled the ruling NDA to attain a simple majority in the Bihar Assembly notwithstanding a sharp fall in the tally of the JD(U) headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, according to final results announced early Wednesday.

The Opposition Grand Alliance fell way short of the magic mark. The total number of seats won by all its five constituents stood at 110. Nonetheless, the RJD emerged as the single largest party in the assembly bagging 75 seats. Its vote share at 23.03% was also the highest for any single party in the elections.

The Congress managed to win only 19 of the 70 it had contested.

The performance of CPI(ML), the most radical among the mainstream Left groups, stood out as it won 12 of the 19 seats it contested. The CPI and the CPI(M) won two seats each.

Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM clinched five seats while its alliance partner in Bihar, Mayawati’s BSP, bagged one.

Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party, which pulled out of the NDA and contested nearly 150 seats, managed to win just one - PTI

 

2:20 a.m.

JD(U) wins Hilsa seat by just 12 votes

The JD(U) has won the Hilsa Assembly seat in Bihar just by 12 votes, according to the Election Commission website, a result contested by the rival RJD.

According to the results updated on the Election Commission website late Tuesday night, JD(U)’s Krishnamurari Sharan alias Prem Mukhiya has polled 61,848 votes, while the RJD’s Atri Muni alias Shakti Singh Yadav has got 61,836 votes.

“Results declared,” the poll panel wrote in the ‘status’ column for Hilsa seat late Tuesday night. And in the margin column it wrote 12 .

Earlier, around 10 p.m., when the poll panel website showed that votes for Hilsa were still being counted, the RJD alleged foul play in the process.

“The Returning Officer had declared RJD candidate Shakti Singh from Hilsa Assembly constituency as winner by 547 votes. He was told to wait for issuing the victory certificate. But then the Returning Officer receives a call from the Chief Minister’s residence and the officer suddenly says the RJD candidate has lost by 13 votes due to postal ballots being cancelled,” the party alleged in a tweet. - PTI

1:30 a.m.

Tejashwi Yadav wins Raghopur by over 38,000 votes

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav won his Raghopur seat by a margin of over 38,000 votes in the result announced late Tuesday night. According to the Election Commission, Tejashwi Yadav defeated Bharatiya Janata Party’s Satish Kumar by a margin of 38,174 votes.

Tejashwi Yadav, who was also the Mahagathbandhan’s Chief Ministerial candidate, had won the Raghopur seat, a pocketborough of the RJD, on his poll debut in 2015 too when the victory margin was 22,733 votes.

LJP candidate Rakesh Raushan bagged nearly 25,000 votes in the seat.

Tejashwi Yadav’s elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav also won from Hasanpur seat by over 21,000 votes. - PTI

1:15 a.m.

NDA appears to have edge in tough fight

Bihar’s electorate kept the National Democratic Alliance and Mahagathbandhan parties on tenterhooks for most of Tuesday, but counting trends late at night pointed to a narrow but clear edge for the NDA.

Till midnight, results for 199 of the 243 seats had been declared on the EC website. Votes continued to be counted, with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leading in 76 seats and the BJP running close at 72. The Janata Dal (United) was ahead in 43 seats, while the Congress (19 leads) and the Left parties with 16 seats made the competition stiffer.

Overall, the NDA was ahead with 124 leads, while the Mahagathbandhan was leading in 111 seats at the time of writing in a tantalisingly close election. The magic majority number is 122.

1:05 a.m.

Final tally should be out in another hour, says Deputy Election Commissioner

Deputy Election Commissioner Chandra Bhushan Kumar says there are 17 Assembly constituencies where 66 rounds are yet to be completed.  "Hopefully we will have the final tally in another hour or so," he said.

12:50 a.m.

Wrong to write-off the Left; could have won more seats, says Sitaram Yechury

With the three Left parties bagging 13 seats and leading in three others in Bihar, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury warned naysayers against writing them off, saying they would have notched up higher numbers in the elections had they been given more seats.

As of 11.50 pm, the CPI(ML) had won nine of the 19 seats they fought on and were leading in three others. The CPI(M), which competed on four seats, has won two, while the CPI had also won two of the six it contested.

The Left parties contested 29 seats in the Bihar Assembly elections.

“We were clear from the beginning that we have to defeat the BJP. Our strike rate in Bihar is 80% and if we had been given more seats, we would have contributed more to the gathbandhan tally,” Mr. Yechury said.

“Our alliance with the RJD and Congress combined issues of social justice with that of economic justice. One cannot be achieved without the other,” he said.

11.50 pm

 

Bihar has told the world how democracy is strengthened: Modi

“Youth of Bihar have made it clear that new decade will be of Bihar and for self-reliant Bihar,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi says in his first reactions on the Bihar results. “Voters in Bihar have made it clear that development is their only aspiration and priority.”

He says, “People’s blessings to NDA’s good governance even after 15 years of rule shows what are Bihar’s dreams and expectations. Bihar taught the world the first lesson of democracy and today again it has told the world how democracy is strengthened.”

“I assure every citizen of Bihar that NDA govt will work with full dedication for balanced development of every person, every region,” he adds.

 

10. 40 pm

 

Owaisi to take call on supporting Mahagathbandhan once final results are out

The AIMIM will take a call on extending support to the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan once the final results were declared, party’s chief Asaduddin Owaisi said in Hyderabad.

Asked once the final results are out and if there will be a need whether AIMIM will support RJD, the Hyderabad MP told reporters counting was still going on and the final results are yet to be declared.

“I would be able to answer once the results are out. Why should I speculate...when the final results are out then a decision will be taken,” Mr. Owaisi said without giving a direct reply. He said the party would strive for development of the Bihar’s Seemanchal region.

The AIMIM was part of the Grand Democratic Secular Front that has four other parties, including former union minister Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samta Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

On allegations that his party was dividing anti-BJP votes, Mr. Owaisi said he is running a political party and has a right to contest on its own.

“You mean we should not fight elections. You (Congress) went and sat in Shiv Sena’s lap (in Maharashtra)... I will fight in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and will fight every election in the country.Do I need to ask anyone’s permission to fight the polls,” he said.

“AIMIM will fight in 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and with whom we will ally only time will tell,” Mr. Owaisi added.

10.05 pm

 

Not under any pressure, says EC

Election Commission Secretary-General Umesh Sinha says he wants to make it clear that the poll panel has not been under any pressure.

As per the counting process he says, about five rounds of counting are pending in 17 places.

Counting in last stages in eight seats of Madhya Pradesh and one seat of Odisha by-poll, says Mr. Sinha

Bihar District Election Commissioner Chandra Bhushan Kumar says "Results for 146 seats have been declared in Bihar."

Mr. Bhushan Kumar said "Wherever the margin of victory is less than the number of postal ballots rejected, re-verification will be mandatory as per an EC direction of May 2019."

Regarding RJD's allegation that it won 119 seats but the candidates did not get the certificates, Mr Kumar said the results and trends are in public domain.

10.00 pm

Left under-represented in Mahagathbandhan: CPI(ML)

As the CPI(ML) on Tuesday registered its highest tally in over 30 years in Bihar by winning 12 of the 19 seats it contested, its general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya credited the people of Bihar for its performance while he rued that the Left was under-represented in the Mahagathbandhan led by the RJD.

“The credit entirely goes to the people of Bihar. It is their struggle and we are just the medium,” he said. The electoral fortunes of the party changed with the lockdown. “At a time when both the Centre and the State government had abandoned and humiliated the people, our comrades stood with them everyday,” Mr. Bhattacharya said.

In the 2005 February Assembly elections, the party had won seven seats. Within a few months when the Assembly was dissolved since there was no clear mandate for any party and elections were held in October, its tally came down to five. In the 2010 elections, they were wiped out. And it took them another five years to bounce back, winning three seats in the 2015 elections that they fought independently.

 

9.50 pm

 

RJD alleges returning officers withholding results

The RJD has alleged in a series of tweets that returning officers have withheld results in 119 seats "where the MGB candidates have won after the completion of counting”.

The RJD tweet in Hindi said: "After winning 119 seats, 109 are being shown on TV. Nitish Kumar is calling up all the officers and getting them rigged."

 

9.25 pm

Vote share till now

In terms of vote share, the MGB has 37.21% of the votes while NDA has 37.16% but the former only has leads/wins in 113 seats even as the NDA leads/wins 123, just above the half-way mark. 92% of the votes have been counted so far.

8.55 pm

Results out for 82 seats

As of 8: 50 pm, results of 82 seats have been declared. Both BJP and RJD have won 23 seats each. JD(U) and Congress have won 15 and 7 seats respectively.

The saffron party was leading in 50 seats while RJD is leading in 52 seats, overtaking BJP as single largest party.

About 19% of the total votes were polled in favour of BJP , where as 23% votes were in favour of RJD .

8.35 pm

Those calling us vote-cutter have got ‘befitting’ reply: AIMIM

Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen, which was given tags like ‘vote cutter’ and spoiler in the Bihar assembly polls, appeared set to win five Muslim-dominated seats on Tuesday and said its critics have got a befitting reply from the people.

With the election results on a knife’s edge, AIMIM could play a key role in the formation of the next government in case there is a hung assembly, having captured a sizeable number of seats in the state’s Seemanchal region, which was being seen as a stronghold of the grand opposition alliance.

AIMIM national spokesperson Asim Waqar told PTI that a final decision on who AIMIM could back in case of a hung assembly will be taken by Owaisi, but ruled out supporting the BJP, asserting that his party’s fight has always been against the saffron party. - PTI

8.20 pm

Tejashwi Yadav ahead of BJP candidate by 27, 839 votes

The Mahagathbandhan Chief Ministerial candidate and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav is currently leading with a margin of 27, 839 votes from Raghopur constituency.

As of now, his nearest rival  Satish Kumar Yadav from BJP has secured 45,455 votes, while LJP candidate Rakesh Raushan has polled 19,394 votes in his favour.

Mr. Yadav in the 2015 elections had won from this seat by margin of  22, 733 votes.

Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi too had won from this constituency  in 1995, 2000 and in 2005 respectively.

7.45 pm

RJD overtakes BJP as single largest party

As of 7.45 p.m., the RJD is leading in 76 constituencies followed by the BJP in 72, as per the trends in the Election Commission of India website.

It can't get more neck and neck than this — NDA vote share: 37.18%, MGB: 37.08% after 81.9% of votes have been counted according to Election Commission of India. (Data as of 7.45 pm). Seats: NDA: 121, MGB: 114, GDSF: 6, Independents: 1.

3.4 crore out of the about 4.1 crore votes counted so far.

Click here for live trends

7.40 pm

Amit Shah dials Nitish as NDA maintains marginal lead in Bihar

Union Home Minister Amit Shah Tuesday dialled Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as the two leaders talked about the Bihar poll results and trends, sources close to the JD(U) president said.

Though the sources refused to divulge the details of their telephonic conversation, they said they discussed the poll results and trends.

The NDA is marginally ahead of rival Mahagathbandhan, according to the latest Election Commission update on counting of votes.

The BJP has outperformed ally JD(U) which has triggered speculations in some quarters if Kumar will still be the chief minister or somebody from the saffron party will lead the coalition government in the state.

Mr. Shah and BJP president J P Nadda have already announced that Kumar will be the Chief Minister irrespective of the seats won by the two allies.

Several JD(U) leaders including state president Vasistha Narayan Singh and party spokespersons Ajay Alok and Rajiv Ranjan Prasad have said there was nothing more to say on the issue of chief ministership as the senior BJP leadership has already backed Kumar.

7.30 pm

Vikassheel  Insaan Party wins two seats

Mishri Lal Yadav of Vikassheel  Insaan Party wins from Alinagar. He has secured 61, 082 ( 38.62%) the votes in his favour. His counterpart Binod Mishra of RJD secured 57,981 votes. Mr. Yadav had contested as a BJP candidate from this seat in the 2015 elections where he was defeated by the then RJD candidate Abdul Bari Siddiqui.

Swarna Singh,  Vikassheel  Insaan Party candidate wins from Gaura Bauram constituency. The VIP candidate has secured 59538 (41.26%) votes where as his nearest rival, Afzal Ali Khan secured 52, 558 votes. JDU had won in this seat in the 2015 elections.

7.15 pm

AIMIM victorious in battle of brothers

AIMIM candidate Shahnawaz wins from Jokihat constituency. He was pitted against his brother Sarfaraz Alam, who was contesting on RJD's ticket. Mr. Sarfaraz the sitting MLA, recently switched from JD(U) to RJD.

Mr. Shahnawaz has secured 59,596 (34.22%) votes in his favour, where as his brother won 52,213 votes (29.98%) .

Ranjit Yadav, who is fighting on a BJP ticket in this seat, won 48,893 votes.

AIMIM is currenlty leading in four other seats.

7.05 pm

If BJP lets Nitish become Bihar CM, thank Sena, says Sanjay Raut

The Shiv Sena on Tuesday said JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar should thank it if he retains the post of Bihar chief minister despite his party winning less seats in the Assembly polls than ally BJP as the latest trends indicate.

Referring to last year’s dramatic turn of events in Maharashtra, which saw the Shiv Sena severing ties with the BJP and forming government with ideological rivals NCP and the Congress, Sena MP Sanjay Raut said his party had shown what happens “when word is not kept” by an alliance partner.

“I heard BJP leaders saying in unison (on TV) that only Nitish babu will be the chief minister. Nitish babu should thank Shiv Sena for that. Not keeping promises will not happen in Bihar because the Shiv Sena has shown in Maharashtra what can happen if word is not kept,” Mr. Raut said.

“Hence, if Nitish Kumar becomes Bihar chief minister, despite winning less number of seats (as compared to the BJP), he should thank the Shiv Sena for it,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.

The Shiv Sena and the BJP together contested the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections but the alliance collapsed after results following differences over sharing the chief ministerial post on a rotational basis for two-and-a-half years. -- PTI

 

6.40 pm

BJP MLA wins from Hajipur

Incumbent BJP MLA Awadhesh Singh wins from Hajipur seat. He has defeated RJD’s Deo Kumar Chaurasia by a margin of 2990 votes.  In the 2015 elections , Mr. Singh defeated his opponent by a margin of 12,195 votes.

6.25 pm

Top RJD leader loses Keoti Assembly to BJP

Top RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui loses to BJP’s Murari MohanJha on Keoti assembly seat in Darbhanga: Returning Officer Thiyagrajan SM.  Lalu Prasad’s man Friday Bhola Yadav of RJD defeated by BJP’sRamchandra Prasad on Hayaghat assembly seat in Darbhanga: Returning Officer Thiyagrajan SM.

6.15 pm

'4,858 rounds of about 7,700 scheduled rounds of counting in Bihar completed'

4,858 rounds of about 7,700 scheduled rounds of counting in Bihar have been completed, DEC Ashish Kundra said.

Out of total 302 seats in Bihar elections and State by-polls, counting is on in 257 and results have been declared in 24, Mr. Sinha

In Bihar, 2.7 crore votes out of 4.11 crore votes polled have been counted, DEC Chandra Bhushan Kumar said.

Allegation of postal ballot counting being stopped in Bihar has not been substantiated. No counting was stopped, Mr. Bhushan Kumar said.

EC Secretary General Umesh Sinha said that next round of updates will be at 10 p.m. The number of postal ballots has increased, he said.

On average, there are 35 rounds of counting and each round takes 20-30 minutes, Mr. Sinha said, adding that the Commission has directed that counting officials need not hurry. "It will take some more time than normal. Results may come till late night," he said. 

6.10 pm

Total annihilation for LJP

The Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJP) president Chirag Paswan wanted to play the kingmaker’s role, but ended up with total annihilation not winning a single seat and securing the second spot in only eight seats in Bihar assembly of 243 members. 

Mr. Paswan claimed during the campaign that he is Hanuman of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but he has ended up playing the role of Vibhishan hurting the NDA instead. There are at least 27 seats where the margin by which the JD (U) lost to Mahagatbandhan is the same as the number of votes polled in favour of the LJP. 

He roped in 25 former BJP leaders who couldn’t managed to get a ticket this time around. The gamble just did not pay off. In Dinara, LJP fielded senior BJP leader Rajendra Singh, who is an old RSS hand. He lost by a nearly 3,000 votes. In Bhagalpur, LJP got Deputy Mayor of BJP Rajesh Verma to contest against Congress, he too lost. It is telling that in Hasanpur, Lalu Prasad Yadav's son and Tejashwi Yadav's brother Tej Pratap Yadav could win only because LJP polled nearly 10,000 votes, which is his victory margin against the JD (U). -- Sobhana K Nair

6.00 pm

About 67.4% of the votes have been counted in the Bihar Assembly elections (as of 5:53 PM) and there is some tightening in leads.

NDA: 124 (37.29%)

MGB: 110 (36.93%)

GDSF (including AIMIM): 6 (4.89%)

Independents : 3 -- Srinivasan Ramani

5.50 pm

'J.P. Nadda to address party workers soon'

NDA workers have started celebrating victory at party offices in Patna.

J.P Nadda will address  party workers soon, reports Times Now .

As of now, BJP has won four seats, while RJD, and JD(U) have won two seats each. Vikassheel Insaan Party and Congress won one seat each.

NDA is currently leading on 125 seats while Mahagathbandhan is leading on 108 seats.

5.45 pm

LJP sinks but brings JD(U) down; ruling party says Nitish targeted as part of ‘sinister’ campaign    

With polling trends showing Janata Dal (United) underperforming in a big way, Lok Janshakti Party president Chirag Paswan appeared to be succeeding in damaging Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led party by playing a major role in its poor show in many seats.

The LJP, though, itself looked to have paid a big price in the process, as the Election Commission data till 5.30 pm showed that neither it had won nor it was leading even in a single seat while drawing around over 5.6% of votes. 

Mr. Paswan’s party has, however, been instrumental in the JD(U)’s loss in at least 30 seats. 

As per the latest EC data, JD(U) had won two and was leading in 41 seats, a big drop from 71 seats it had won in 2015 assembly polls. JD(U) spokesperson K C Tyagi told PTI that a “sinister” campaign was run against Nitish Kumar as part of a “conspiracy“. “Apne bhi shamil the aur begane bhi (Our own also harmed us along with the outsiders),” he said, without taking any names. 

He, however, expressed confidence that Mr. Kumar will become the Chief Minister again, noting that top BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have made it clear that he will head the government if the ruling NDA retains power. - PTI

5.35 pm

EVMs absolutely robust and tamper-proof: EC

Against the backdrop of some leaders questioning the reliability of EVMs, the Election Commission (EC) asserted on Tuesday that the machines are “absolutely robust and tamper-free“.

Responding to a question on doubts being raised by some politicians, Deputy Election Commissioner in-charge of EVMs Sudip Jain told reporters here that the machines are absolutely robust and tamper-proof.

“It has been clarified time and again that EVMs are absolutely robust and tamper-proof. Even the Supreme Court has upheld their integrity more than once,” he said.

Mr. Jain recalled that in 2017, the commission had offered an “EVM challenge” to political parties.

“The integrity of EVMs is absolutely without any doubts and merits no other clarification,” he said. - PTI

5.25 pm

BJP Ministers boast better performance than their JDU allies

BJP ministers from the Nitish Kumar cabinet are faring better than the JDU candidates in the elections so far. 

As on 5 p.m., only 2 of the 9 BJP ministers were observed trailing in Chainpur and Muzaffarpur constituencies.The other candidates in Patna Sahib, Banka, Motihari, Benipatti, Lakhisarai, Madhuban and Banmakhi were all leading the race for their constituencies.

On the other hand, 5 of the 12 JDU candidates fielded by the Nitish Kumar cabinet have failed to capitalise on their positions. Ramesh Rishidev, Feroz Ahmad, Santosh Kumar Nirala, Shailesh Kumar and Jai Kumar Singh were all found trailing in their respective constituencies.

5.15 pm

BJP, RJD and JD(U) on equal footing

BJP, RJD, and JD(U) have won two seats each so far, Vikassheel Insaan Party and Congress wins one seat. As of now, NDA is currently leading on 123 seats while Mahagathbandhan is leading on 109 seats, ANI reports.

5.05 pm

Bihar vote count likely to continue till late in the night; counting not slow: EC

Counting of votes for the Bihar assembly elections will take longer than usual and continue till late in the night because of 63% increase in the number of EVMs, the Election Commission said on Tuesday asserting that the pace of counting of votes is not slow.

Briefing reporters in the national capital as the counting progressed in Bihar, EC officials said over 1 crore votes were counted till around 1.30 pm out of nearly 4.16 crore votes polled in the three-phase elections. Out of nearly 7.3 crore voters, 57.09% had cast votes in the polls. -PTI

4.45 pm

54.3% of the votes counted, t rends point to a majority victory for the NDA

The NDA is leading with 129 seats (37.37% vote share), while the Mahagathbandhan has registered leads in 103 129 seats (36.75% vote share) so far. The LJP is leading in 2 seats (5.73% vote share), the GDSF in 6 (4.9% vote share), and Independent/Others in 3 (15.25% vote share). Trends point to a majority victory for the NDA despite the near equal vote shares. - Srinivasan Ramani

4.40 pm

RJD negates poll trends, says Grand Alliance will form govt

The RJD on Tuesday claimed that reports from its candidates and workers from across Bihar have suggested that the Grand Alliance is winning the state elections, even as poll trends project otherwise.

According to the trends available so far, the NDA is headed for a majority in Bihar, while the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan is trailing.

“We are in touch with our candidates and workers from all areas and the information received from them tells that results will go in our favour,” the Lalu Prasad-led party said in a tweet.

It also said that the counting process will stretch into the night as additional polling stations were set up this time to maintain social distance on the voting day in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“A Mahagathbandhan government will be formed for sure. Bihar has effected a change,” the RJD said.

The party asked its candidates and agents to stay put at the counting centres until the process is complete. -- PTI

4.15 pm

No dispute regarding NDA leader in Bihar: state BJP chief

With the NDA leading in 128 of the243 seats in Bihar assembly, BJP state chief Sanjay Jaiswal said there is no dispute regarding who will lead the government if the alliance returns to power in the state.

“The issue has been cleared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief J P Nadda much before the elections,” he said, while responding to a query whether Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will lead the NDA government if the alliance secures a majority in the assembly.

4 pm

Biharsharif - Battle of Sunil Kumars

Even as 26 rounds of counting is pending, it is almost certain that Sunil Kumar will be the name of Biharsharif MLA. There might be umpteen differences between the BJP and RJD, but both parties chose a 'Sunil Kumar' as their candidate. At the end of 14 rounds, BJP's Sunil Kumar is leading with 37,680 votes, while his namesake from RJD is trailing by 12,673 votes. Until 2015, BJP's Sunil Kumar, the incumbent MLA was with the JD(U).

3.50 pm

JD(U) maintains lead in Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha by-poll

The JD(U) has established a lead of more than 16,000 votes over its nearest Congress rival in the by-election to the Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha constituency as counting of votes is underway on the Parliamentary seat where voting was held alongside the State elections.

As per the Election Commission website, JD(U)s Sunil Kumar has polled 2,22,200 votes of the total 5,67,436 counted till around 3 p.m. His nearest rival Pravesh Kumar Mishra of the Congress has polled 2,05,718 votes till now.

The by-poll to the Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha constituency has been necessitated by the death of JD(U) sitting MP Baidyanath Mahto, Sunil Kumar's father.

There are seven candidates fighting in the by-poll. - PTI

3.40 pm

Lalit Kumar Yadav of RJD wins Darbhanga Rural constituency

RJD's Lalit Kumar Yadav has defeated JD(U)'s Faraz Fatmi to retain Darbhanga Rural. His winning margin was a mere 2,141 votes. In 2015, when RJD and JD(U) fought the elections together, Mr. Lalit Kumar Yadav's victory margin was 34,491.

3.30 pm

Congress leader Udit Raj questions reliability of EVMs

Congress leaders Udit Raj and Mukul Wasnik at the press conference in New Delhi on February 9, 2020.

Congress leaders Udit Raj and Mukul Wasnik at the press conference in New Delhi on February 9, 2020.

 

After the ruling NDA took an initial lead from the grand alliance in poll trends for Bihar, Congress leader Udit Raj on Tuesday raised questions on the reliability of EVMs asking why they cannot be hacked if satellites can be controlled from the earth.

He also asked if Donald Trump could have lost in the U.S. elections had EVMs been used.

“If the direction of satellites to Mars and Moon can be controlled from the earth, then why can’t EVM be hacked,” Udit Raj said in a tweet in Hindi.

“If elections were held in America with EVMs, could Trump have lost,” he asked.

Dalit leader Udit Raj is the Congress party’s national spokesperson. He was a former BJP MP from Delhi.

In another tweet, he took a swipe at the BJP, saying it has been able to sideline Nitish Kumar with its performance in Bihar. - PTI

3.20 pm

In 21 constituencies, the lead margin is under 1000

Take Alinagar for instance. Mishri Lal Yadav of VIP is leading by a slender margin of 42 votes. Binod Mishra of RJD is the trailing candidate.

In Madhepura JD(U) is ahead of RJD by less than 200 votes. In Kasba, Shakeel Ahmad Khan of Congress is fighting a neck and neck race with Suraj Prakash Roy of JD(U).

3 pm

Sanjay Saraogi of BJP wins Darbhanga seat by over 10,000 votes

Incumbent MLA Sanjay Saraogi of BJP.

Incumbent MLA Sanjay Saraogi of BJP.

 

And the first result is out. Incumbent MLA Sanjay Saraogi of BJP wins Darbhanga seat. He has defeated Amar Nath Gami of RJD by a margin of over 10,000 votes. He has been winning elections from Darbhanga  since 2005. 

Mr. Saraogi secured 67,248 votes as opposed to his counterpart who registered 59,093.

He was elected for the first time in February 2005, and again in 2010 when he defeated RJD leader by a margin of about 26,000 votes. In the 2015 Bihar assembly election, he defeated Mahagathbandhan candidate and former mayor Om Prakash Kheria by a margin of 7,460 votes.

2.40 pm

Jokihat: Where BJP is winning as two brothers fight

RJD's Sarfaraz Alam is pitted against his brother Shahnawas Alam. Mr. Shahnawas is contesting in AIMIM ticket, while Sarfaraz the sitting MLA, recently switched from JD(U) to RJD.

As the brothers fight it out, it is BJP's Ranjit Yadav who is leading by a margin of 4030 votes.

2.30 pm

All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is leading in two seats — Amour and Kochadhaman.

The Hyderabad-headquartered party forayed into Bihar this time with a BSP-led Grand Democratic Secular Front (GDSP). Out of 20 seats it contested, 12 are against the RJD or the Congress.

It appears that AIMIM’s expansion comes at Mahagathbandhan’s cost.

2.20 pm

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Vinod Kumar leads in Baisi constituency.

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Abdus Subhan was elected for the seat in the 2015 Assembly Elections after 2010 when the BJP had managed to win this seat when the Muslim vote got divided.

The same scenario is being observed now. As of 2:00 p.m. the BJP is leading here with AIMIM close second with a margin of 2088 votes.

2.10 pm

Crowd outside party offices tell many tales

At the BJP office at Beer Chand Patel Path, where there was not much activity for the past three days after exit polls projected a majority for the Grand Alliance, several leaders and party workers have started coming in with beaming faces.

State BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal is in the office monitoring the results closely.

While Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is watching counting of votes at his official residence, some leaders and party workers have started thronging the party office, a stone’s throw away from the office of the BJP and the RJD in the heart of the city.

In the RJD camp, which was on cloud nine till Monday with almost all exit polls indicating the party-helmed coalition coming to power in the state and its leader Tejashwi Yadav becoming chief minister, the initial euphoria appears to be dipping.

A crowd of Tejashwi supporters that had gathered outside the 10 Circular Road residence of former chief minister Rabri Devi expecting a victory is thinning now.

Scores of Congress leaders from across the country, including its general secretary Randeep Surjewala, who have arrived here in the hope of party forming a government with Mahagathbandhan partners are glued to TV channels hoping the trends will change in accordance to the exit polls.

“We are not far behind, things will change in our favour,” state Congress spokesman Rajesh Rathor told PTI .

2 pm

HAM chief CM Jitan Ram Manjhi picks up votes, leading now

HAM chief & former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjh is leading by over 2,400 votes in Imamganj seat. He was earlier trailing RJD’s Uday Narain Choudhary.

Mr. Manjhi had, in 2015, quit the JD(U)after being forced to step down as the CM to make way for return of Nitish Kumar. He later on formed the HAM and contested 21 seats during 2015 Bihar Assembly polls as an NDA constituent. With return of Mr. Kumar in the NDA fold in July 2017, he walked out of it to join hands with the opposition grouping. He has pledged support for the NDA in this election.

1.50 pm

Over 1 crore votes counted so far: Bihar Deputy Election Commissioner

Bihar Deputy Election Commissioner Ashish Kundra said that over 1 crore votes have been counted in Bihar so far, and cautioned that there is significant ground to be covered before announcing the result. Nearly 4.10 votes have been cast in total during the three-phase election.

He was addressing the press in a mid-day briefing.

DEC Chandra Bhushan Kumar said that there has been a 63% increase in the number of booths. Adhering to social distancing, the number of tables in one hall has been limited to seven as opposed to 14 earlier, he added.

Also, the number of counting locations increased to 55 from 38, while the number of rounds of counting ranges from 19 to 51.

"The counting machinery on the ground is working very diligently. It may take longer to count compared to 2015 as there has been an increase in EVMs and postal ballots," added the DEC.

1.40 pm

RJD confident of Mahagathbandhan win

Senior RJD leader Manoj Kumar Jha. File

Senior RJD leader Manoj Jha. File

 

RJD leader and party Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha told mediapersons that he was confident that the Mahagathbandhan will win the poll and the figure of winning candidates will go above 122 in few hours from now.

"There will be a change at the CM’s residence, just wait for few hours," he said. - Amarnath Tewary

1.35 pm

NDA outperforming Mahagathbandhan

With 27.1% of the votes counted so far, NDA has secured 37.1%, while the grand alliance got 36.4%, LJP: 6%, and GDSF: 4.8%.  NDA is outperforming Mahagathbandhan because of alliance dynamics and better strike rate so far. - Srinivasan Ramani

1.15 pm

NDA ahead in more than half of 243 seats of Bihar

The ruling NDA in Bihar was ahead of its rivals in more than half of the state’s 243 assembly seats, with the BJP appearing set to outperform its senior alliance partner JD(U) headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, according to trends available so far.

As trends from all 243 seats became available, the NDA constituents were ahead in 125, with BJP candidates leading the table in 72 seats and the JD(U) in only 47. The BJP had contested 110 seats as against the JD(U)’s 115. A party or coalition of parties needs 122 seats for a simple majority.

Despite looking set to emerge as the single largest party if the trend continues, the BJP has so far polled 19.89% of votes counted so far against RJD’s 22.95%.

However, the BJP along with partner JD(U) has so far pocketed 35.43% votes against 32.13% polled by the RJD-Congress combined. - PTI

1.10 pm

Only 20% of votes counted till now: Bihar Chief Electoral Officer

Bihar Chief Electoral Officer H.R. Srinivas said that the only 20% of votes have been counted till around 1 p.m., and added that the process is likely to extend till "late evening".

“Counting of votes for Bihar Elections 2020 will take place till ‘late evening’. Only about 80 lakhs (around 20%) votes counted till now and over 3 crore votes still to be counted,” he said.

Earlier, officials had said that trends and results might be delayed a bit this time as the number of polling stations were raised from 72,723 earlier to 1,06,515, an increase of 46.5%, to ensure adherence to social distancing measures in view of the pandemic.

1 pm

Vikasheel Insaan Party leads in 6 of 11 seats 

The Mukesh Sahni-led Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), the new entrant to the NDA alliance in Bihar, is leading in Alinagar, Bochaha, Gaura Bauram, Madhubani, Sahebganj and Simri Bakhtiarpur. 

It is also contesting for seats in Brahmpur, Sugauli, Kewati, Balrampur and Baniapur. 

The party was formed as recently as 2018 with former BJP leader Mukesh Sahani at the helm and soon became a part of the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar for 2019 general elections, where they contested three Lok Sabha seats. 

The party rejoined the NDA alliance earlier this year after a spat with the mahagathbandhan leaders. “I was stabbed in the back and cheated,” Mr. Sahni had said while making a hasty exit.

12.50 pm

NDA will again form govt under Nitish in Bihar: JD(U)

The JD(U) on Tuesday exuded confidence that the NDA will again form a government in Bihar under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as trends showed the political alliance marching ahead of the RJD-led Grand Alliance.

“I have been saying this for a long time that the NDA will form the government under the leadership of CM Nitish Kumar. The opposition ran a misleading campaign with several allurements to woo voters,” state JD(U) chief Vashishtha Narayan Singh told reporters.

When asked whether the BJP or the JD(U) will lead the government, Singh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief J P Nadda have made it “amply clear” on several occasions as to who will form the government.

 

12.40 pm

Bihar minister and BJP leader Brij Kishor Bind is leading over BSP rival Md Hamza Khan by 321 votes in Chainpur seat. Another minister Vinod Narayan Jha is leading in Benipatti.

In Buxar, BJP’s Parshuram Chaubey is leading over Congress rival Sanjay Tiwari by 2,600 votes.

RJD’s Kiran Devi leads over LJP’s Shweta Singh by over 4,200 votes in Sandesh seat.

Bihar Assembly Speaker and JD(U) leader Vijay Kumar Chaudhary trails RJD’s Arbind Kumar Sahni by 230 votes in Sarairanjan seat.

12.20 pm

It is too early to declare the winner, here is why.

With only 15% of total votes counted as of now, it is a really close election in terms of vote share. The NDA has secured 37.4% and Mahagathbandhan 36.1%.

When 7% of votes were counted, it was 37.5% for NDA and 32.9% for Mahagathbandhan.

Of the 110 seats it contested, BJP is leading in 73. It's ally JD(U) is leading in 46 seats out of 115 seats it contested.

12 noon

 

The trends for 242 out of 243 seats are known. Here is the partywise break-up

PartyWonLeadingTotal
All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen33
Bahujan Samaj Party11
Bharatiya Janata Party7373
Communist Party of India33
Communist Party of India (Marxist)22
Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation)1414
Independent66
Indian National Congress2121
Janata Dal (United)4848
Lok Jan Shakti Party44
Rashtriya Janata Dal6161
Vikassheel Insaan Party66
Total242242

 

 

11.50 am

The lead margin in as many as five seats are less than 100.

In Bajpatti, JD(U)'s Ranju Geeta is leading by just 26 votes. Her party colleague Chandra Sen Prasad is leading by 82 votes in Islampur.

Vinay Verma of Congress has secured 100 votes more thatn Rashmi Varma of BJP ar Narkatiaganj.

In Nokha, the margin between JD(U) and RJD is 70. In Paroo, Independent candidate Shankar Prasad is leading over sitting MLA Ashok Kumar Singh by 34 votes.

Ramchandra Sahni of VIP is leading in Sugauli by 69 votes. RJD's Shashi Bhushan Singh is his nearest rival. Mr. Singh seeks to retain the seat, which he won in BJP ticket in 2015.

11.40 am

The battle for Danapur

Ritlal Yadav faces 33 criminal cases of murder, extortion and money laundering. File

Ritlal Yadav faces 33 criminal cases of murder, extortion and money laundering. File

 

Danapur is witnessing a fight between a slain BJP leader's widow and a person accused of murdering her husband.

Ritlal Yadav is the main accused in the murder of former BJP leader Satyanarayan Sinha in 2003. Sinha’s widow Asha Singh has been winning the Danapur Assembly seat for the last three consecutive terms on a BJP ticket, and this time she is facing Ritlal Yadav.

Ritlal Yadav was released from Patna’s Beur jail in August this year, after being granted bail by the Patna High Court in a money laundering case.

Trends show Ritlal Yadav is leading in Danapur.

11.30 am

A jailed candidate is leading in Mokama

Anant Kumar Singh of RJD is leading in Mokama. He has polled over 51% of votes counted so far.

Anant Singh faces as many as 38 criminal cases of murder, extortion, kidnapping, and possession of illegal weapons.

He is currently lodged in jail and had won the previous 2015 Assembly poll from Mokama as an Independent candidate.

11.20 am

CPI(ML) strikes big

The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation is leading in 13 out of 19 seats it contested.

For the first time the CPI (ML) is fighting elections within the constraints of an alliance. In 2015, the party contested alone and managed to win three seats.

The best performance of CPI (ML) was in the 1990, when it won nine seats.

11.10 am | Analysis

What lies ahead for JD(U) with a diminished Nitish Kumar

As the early trends suggest, the Janata Dal (United) is emerging as the biggest loser in the  Bihar 2020 Assembly elections  and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s own image appears greatly diminished. Can the JD (U) survive the declining popularity of Mr. Kumar?

In the last three Assembly elections 2005, 2010 and 2015 the JD (U)’s vote share has swung between nearly 23% and 17%. The 23% high was in 2010, three years after Mr. Kumar’s social engineering carving out a constituency for himself with extremely backward castes and mahadalits.

The key difference between the RJD and the JD (U) is the fact that the RJD has a sizeable vote-bank between the Yadavs and Muslims while the JD (U) has a far too scattered one. - Sobhana Nair

11.00 am

Luv Sinha trailing in Bankipur

Congress Bankipur candidate and Bollywood actor Shatrughan Sinha's son, Luv Sinha, during door-to-door election campaign ahead of the Bihar Assembly election, in Patna on October 19, 2020.

Congress Bankipur candidate and Bollywood actor Shatrughan Sinha's son, Luv Sinha, during door-to-door election campaign ahead of the Bihar Assembly election, in Patna on October 19, 2020.

 

Luv Sinha, who is contesting from Bankipur seat on Congress ticket is trailing behind BJP's Nitin Nabin, who has held the seat since 2005.

Mr. Luv is son of actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, who was a BJP member until recently. This is the 39-year-old's political debut.

The constituency also has some interesting candidates, such as  an alumnus of Oxford University, a former student of the London School of Economics, and former BJP leader Sushma Sahu.

Another candidate in the fray is Pushpam Priya Chaudhury, an alumna of the London School of Economics. She has floated a new party “Plurals”. She has bagged only 121 of 3,860 votes counted so far.

10.50 am

Tejashwi leading by a narrow margin

RJD leader and Mahaghathbandhan chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav is leading in Raghopur seat by a narrow margin.

Meanwhile in Imamganj, HAM president and former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi is trailing behind Uday Narain Choudhary of RJD by over 1,300 votes.

10.30 am

RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav trails behind JD(U)’s Raj Kumar

Lalu Prasad's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav is trailing behind his JD(U) rival in Hasanpur.

Tej Pratap moved out of his constituency Mahua in Vaishali district to Hasanpur in Samastipur as it was seen as a "safe seat" with sizable Yadav and Muslim voters. Rajkumar Rai is the two-time sitting MLA of the JD(U).

10.20 am

Bihar minister and BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav trails behind

Bihar minister and BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav trails behind Pravin Singh of Congress by over 1,700 votes in Patna Sahib seat. Mr. Yadav is currently serving as the minister in charge of roads in the State. He is a veteran political leader with years-long association with the RSS.

10.10 am

JD(U)'s Chandrika Roy leading

JD(U)'s Chandrika Roy leads over RJD's Chhote Lal Ray by 49 votes in Parsa seat in early trends.

Mr. Roy is the father-in law of Lalu Yadav's son Tej Pratap Yadav. Roy's daughter Aishwarya had alleged that her husband was a drug addict and often dressed up like Radha, Krishna and Shiva while claiming to be their avatar. Tej Pratap has sought divorce.

Incidently, he is also contesting in this election from Hasanpur constituency.

10 am

Shooting champion Shreyasi Singh leading

Shooter Shreyasi Singh, daughter of late former Union Minister Digvijay Singh, joins Bharatiya Janta Party, in New Delhi, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020.

Shooter Shreyasi Singh, daughter of late former Union Minister Digvijay Singh, joined Bharatiya Janta Party, in New Delhi, on, Oct. 4, 2020.

 

BJP's Jamui candidate Shreyasi Singh leads over RJD's Vijay Prakash by over 1,200 votes in early trends.

Shreyasi Singh is a Commonwealth Games gold medallist. Her father, Digvijay Singh, was a seasoned socialist leader from Bihar and had served as a minister in Chandra Sekhar and A.B. Vajpayee's governments.

The 29-year-old Arjuna Awardee joined BJP only last month.

9.40 am

Here is a look at how the Bihar Assembly election map looks now. Check out our interactive for live updates .

 

9.30 am

Tejashwi Yadav's transition

Official word is awaited on trends from Raghopur, where RJD leader and Mahagatbandhan's projected CM candidate Tejashwi Yadav is contesting from. The 31-year-old is now at the centre of the opposition campaign to unseat Nitish Kumar, who has been in power for 15 years.

Today’s media-savvy crowdpuller stands in stark contrast with the Tejashwi Yadav of May 2019, when the RJD suffered a big loss in the Lok Sabha elections.

 

9.10 am

BJP leads in five seats; Congress, RJD in one each

The ECI has released trends for 11 seats. Of this, BJP is leading in five, JD(U) in two while Congress and RJD are leading in one seat each.

In Alinagar, VIP's Mishri Lal Yadav is leading over RJD's Binod Mishra. The constituency had in 2015 elected an RJD candidate to the Assembly. In Aurangabad and Garkha, BJP candidates are leading over Congress and RJD ones.

8.50 am

Early lead for BJP

BJP gets first lead, according to the ECI. Sanjay Saraogi of BJP is leading over RJD's Amar Nath Gami in Darbhanga Assembly seat.

Sarogi is a sitting MLA and had beaten his opponent from mahagathbandhan in 2015 election from the same seat.

8 am

Counting begins for Bihar polls; results may be delayed due to additional poll stations

Counting of votes got under way for the three-phase Bihar Assembly elections. Counting started at 8 a.m. at 55 centres spread across 38 districts amid tight security and precautions to avoid the spread of COVID-19 pandemic during the process.

Votes are also being simultaneously counted for the Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha by-poll, which was necessitated by the death of JD(U) MP Baidyanath Mahto.

Officials said the trends and results might be delayed a bit this time as the number of polling stations were raised from 72,723 earlier to 1,06,515, an increase of 46.5%, to ensure adherence to social distancing measures in view of the pandemic. - PTI

 

All quiet at party offices

A day before the declaration of the  Assembly election results , it was all quiet at the offices of the political parties on Beerchand Patel Marg in Patna.

Leaders remained mostly confined to their homes on Monday and refused to comment on the election results. The man of the moment, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and UPA’s chief ministerial face Tejashwi Yadav, celebrated his 31st birthday, a low-key affair at the residence of his mother Rabri Devi.

 

 

Wary of poaching bid, Congress deputes two leaders to Patna

A day after exit polls predicted the Rashtriya Janata Dal-led Grand Alliance to be ahead of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Bihar Assembly election, the Congress on Sunday sent two senior leaders to Patna to “prevent any attempt at poaching”.

Party president Sonia Gandhi stationed general secretary Randeep Surjewala and senior leader Avinash Pande in Patna to oversee the counting-day developments on Tuesday and coordinate with the candidates.

Sources said the move was to avoid a repeat of Manipur and Goa Assembly elections in 2017 in which Congress MLAs switched sides soon after results and “helped” the BJP form governments in these States despite the Congress emerging as the single largest party in the elections.

 

Over 57% turnout in final phase, exceeds previous rounds of polling

A security official keeps a vigil as voters stand in queues to cast their votes at a polling station during the third phase of Bihar Assembly Elections, at Mahua in Vaishali district, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020

A security official keeps a vigil as voters stand in queues to cast their votes at a polling station during the third phase of Bihar Assembly Elections, at Mahua in Vaishali district, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020

 

Turnout in the third and final phase of polling in the Bihar Assembly elections on Saturday was over 57%, according to the Election Commission of India.

Deputy Election Commissioner (DEC) in-charge of Bihar Chandra Bhushan Kumar said the polling percentage had been 55.22% as he was speaking at the EC’s press conference and that the number was likely to increase.

Speaking at a press conference, EC secretary general Umesh Sinha said Bihar had witnessed “enthusiastic polling” in the three phases on October 28, Tuesday and Saturday, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Exit polls predict clear edge for Mahagathbandhan

As the three-phase Bihar Assembly elections drew to a close on Saturday, exit polls unanimously predicted a clear edge for Rashtriya Janata Dalthe Mahagatbandhan, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Tejashvi Yadav. The counting of votes is scheduled for November 10.

A majority of the polls predicted a sharp drop in the number of seats for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led NDA. The BJP, however, is likely to retain its 2015 tally, with some polls predicting a slight increase. For the Mahagathbandhan, polls have predicted a huge jump for the RJD and in particular, popular support for Tejashwi Yadav.

 

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.