Patna:
Nitish Kumar’s JDU has made huge gains in this Bihar election and is surging ahead as the single-largest party in the early rounds of counting. At 1 pm, JDU is leading in 79 of the 101 seats it contested, 36 more than its 2020 score. Its ally BJP is performing strongly and is ahead on 89 seats. The NDA tally has crossed the 185 mark, and if these numbers hold, the alliance will comfortably form the government. Several rounds of counting are left, and these numbers may swing anytime. Follow Bihar Assembly Election Results 2025 Live Updates Here
As for the Opposition, RJD is leading in 37 seats and Congress in 7. Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party, much touted as the wild card in this election, is not leading in a single seat. The strong showing by the JDU shows it remains a formidable force in Bihar’s political landscape, and Nitish Kumar’s popularity and governance record is a vote-puller even after 20 years of incumbency.
JDU’s strong show as part of the NDA alliance also comes at a time when it was being seen as the weaker force in the coalition.
The counting trends also indicate that the Mahagathbandhan’s campaign, which questioned Nitish Kumar’s health condition and positioned RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as a younger and more energetic alternative for the Chief Minister post, failed to convince the people. If Nitish Kumar takes the oath as Chief Minister again, it will be the 10th time he has done it. The past two decades have seen him make several flip-flops across the political aisle, and his rivals have claimed this was eroding his popularity. But his party’s performance after 20 years in power shows his governance record continues to hold his party strong in the election’s turbulent waters.
Another big gainer in the NDA fold is Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas). The Union Minister, who had bargained hard for seat sharing, is now leading his party to a stellar show. Out of the 28 seats LJP (RV) contested, it is leading in 23. If these numbers hold, this will be another big win for Paswan, whose party scored 5/5 in the Lok Sabha election last year.
