(Image source from: Thedailyjagran.com)

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar looked like it was on track for a strong win, and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar appeared ready to achieve his fifth term in a row, as recent reports indicated the alliance was in the lead for 208 out of the 243 seats in the state. Kumar has been the chief minister for the longest time in Bihar. At 3:20 PM, the reports noted that the NDA had surpassed its performance from 2020, when it won 122 seats. In contrast, the Mahagathbandhan was only in the lead for 32 seats, and Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj party did not win any seats. Tejashwi Yadav, leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), was ahead in Raghopur. Additionally, key candidates from both coalitions included Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, Tej Pratap from the Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD), and Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar. The vote counting started at 8 AM. Most exit polls predicted a complete victory for the NDA, which includes the JD(U). Tejashwi Yadav dismissed these predictions, claiming that the Mahagathbandhan would win the government with a significant majority.

The state saw an impressive voter turnout of 67.13% in the two phases of the elections for the 243-member assembly that took place on November 6 and 11. Celebrating the apparent success of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the Bihar elections, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule remarked, "Whoever wins is the true champion. This is a large mandate, and we must acknowledge Nitish Kumar ji, the leader under whom the entire election was conducted... It’s too soon to explain what happened and why the Mahagathbandhan did not succeed... we need at least 48 hours for reflection." He was suggested by the Mahagathbandhan as their choice for deputy chief minister, but Mukesh Sahani's Vikassheel Insaan Party seems likely to end up with no seats in the Bihar Assembly elections, highlighting the opposition coalition’s misunderstanding of the ground situation. "We accept the public’s decision, and we will all reflect on what went wrong. In PM Modi’s words, the NDA is creating a government by giving out 'rewadi' (free goods). We witnessed how Nitish Kumar won the support of women by sending Rs 10,000 to their accounts. This was also Nitish ji's final election, and he has helped women for 20 years. He was able to maintain his government by offering Rs 10,000. I congratulate him, but we must think about this," he said.