Bihar results highlights: NDA bags 202 seats, Rahul ‘truly surprised' by verdict

Bihar election results LIVE: Lalu Yadav's son Tej Pratap, who was earlier leading in the Mahua seat when the counting of votes began is now trailing from there, early trends from PValue Analyst showed.

Bihar election results LIVE: RJD patriarch Lalu Yadav's sons Tejashwi and Tej Pratap are leading from the Raghopur and Mahua constituencies, respectively, according to very early trends from PValue Analyst.

However, the brothers have entered the Bihar contest on different tickets - Tejashwi Yadav from RJD, and Tej Pratap from Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD). Tej Pratap, the elder son, was expelled from the party and the family earlier this year.

Bihar election results LIVE: The RJD is leading on over 50 seats according to very early trends from 8:49 am. Meanwhile, key players in the NDA, the BJP and the JDU, are both leading on over 30 seats, trends by PValue Analytics showed.

Bihar election results LIVE: The BJP and the JDU are together leading on over 60 seats, and the opposition RJD is ahead on more than 40 seats, very early trends from PValue showed.

Election results LIVE: While the BJP has started strong with a lead on at least 27 seats according to very early trends by PValue, the case is not the same for its ally JD(U), which is currently leading on 10 seats.

Bihar election results LIVE: The BJP is ahead on 16 seats, with the RJD leading on eight and Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) on two, according to very early leads shared by PValue.

Alinagar, Gaya Town, Bagaha, Agiaon and Lakhisarai are among seats where the BJP is leading.

Election results LIVE: Expelled RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav is leading on the Mahua seat, according to very early trends from PValue. He contested the seat from his newly-found Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD).

Bihar election results LIVE: According to early trends on PValue, the BJP is leading on at least two seats – Alinagar and Tarapur. The BJP has fielded Maithili Thakur from Alinagar and deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary from Tarapur.

Election results LIVE: BJP candidate and current Bihar minister Nitin Nabin has expressed confidence that his party will win at least 200 seats in the 243-member Assembly. "We are all confident that this time, the NDA seat tally will be near that of the 2010 elections. NDA is going to form the Government. We will get 200 seats," Nabin told news agency ANI.

Bihar election results LIVE: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has begun the counting of votes for the 243-member Assembly, starting with postal ballots, and early trends will start coming in by 9 am. The poll panel has designated 46 counting centres across the 38 districts of Bihar, with a three-layer security at strong rooms.

Bihar election results LIVE: With just minutes left for the counting of votes to begin, the BJP has already begun preparing for celebrations. Sattu paratha and jalebi are among some food items being prepared at the party's Delhi headquarters. “We are preparing jalebis, sattu ke parathe, baingan ka chokha. We can also prepare litti chokha here. Today is a festival for Bihar…,” the caterer at the office told news agency ANI.

Election results LIVE: A three-layer security has been put in place at strong rooms ahead of counting of votes by the Election Commission, set to begin at 8 am. Gaya Ji SSP Anand Kumar detailed the preparations and also highlighted that the Model Code of Conduct was still in place in Bihar.

"Adequate Central Armed Police Forces have been deployed at all entrances and sensitive areas nearby. 10 motorcycle QRTs are deployed across the city and adjacent areas; about 200 jawans are patrolling continuously. Our District Control Room is functional. The situation is good everywhere," the official said.

The SSP said that victory processions won't be allowed, adding that more than 4 people cannot assemble at one place, citing the imposition of section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Bihar election results LIVE: The Election Commission will begin the counting of votes for the 243-member Bihar Assembly at 8 am, with early trends expected at around 9 am. Voting took place in two phases in Bihar on November 6 and 11, and a record voter turnout of 66.91% was seen.

Key players in the fray are the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), consisting of the BJP, JDU and Chirag Paswan's LJP, the Opposition Mahagathbandhan alliance consisting of RJD and Congress, and some new entrants like Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party and expelled RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav's Janshakti Janata Dal.

Election results LIVE: There were 2,616 candidates in fray across 243 Assembly constituencies in Bihar. While 1,302 of them contested on 121 seats in the first phase on November 6, the remaining contested on 122 seats on November 11 during the final phase.

As per the Election Commission of India, no candidates or parties asked for any re-polls in any of the seats, and there were also zero appeals during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar also highlighted the unprecedented participation of over 7.5 crore voters in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.

Bihar election results LIVE: Ahead of counting of votes for the Assembly elections in Bihar, the ruling NDA seems confident of swaying the mandate in its favour. Bihar Minister Hari Sahni said: "Today the results will be a reflection of the good governance of the NDA government...The results will be in favour of the NDA government and we will secure more seats than expected".

The minister's remarks follow projections from several exit polls predicting a massive win for the NDA. At least seven pollsters have predicted that the ruling alliance would comfortably cross the majority mark of 122 seats.

Bihar results LIVE: The Election Commission of India has made elaborate arrangements across the 46 counting centres designated across the 38 districts of Bihar. A two-tier security is in place, including 24/7 CCTV surveillance.

"While the inner tier has been assigned to central armed paramilitary forces (CAPFs), state police have been deployed at the outer rung. Also, 24/7 CCTV surveillance and other security provisions have been put in place," news agency PTI quoted the Election Commission as saying. The EVMs and VVPATs used in the elections have reportedly been sealed inside the strong rooms under a double-lock system.

The counting of votes will begin at 8 am and trends will likely start emerging by 9 am. The Election Commission of India will announce seat-wise results throughout the day.

With just hours left for the counting of votes to begin, an RJD leader sparked a huge controversy in Bihar, suggesting that a "Nepal-like situation" could take place in the state if vote-counting is disrupted or delayed. "In 2020, the counting was halted for four hours, and if something like that happens this time as well, we will see a Nepal-like situation on the streets...Responsible officials will not be spared," he reportedly said.

His remarks were termed "derogatory and provocative" by the ruling NDA, and an FIR was registered under sections 174, 353, 352 of BNS, 123(4) and 125 of the Representation of the People Act and Section 66 of the IT Act against the RJD leader.

Bihar election news LIVE: While most pollsters gave a clear edge to the ruling NDA in Bihar, there was one exit poll that predicted a win for Mahagathbandhan. A news portal called Journo Mirror predicted at least 130-140 seats for the Mahagathbandhan, with just 100-110 seats predicted for the NDA.

While Axis My India did not predict a Mahagathbandhan win, it projected a relatively narrower victory margin for the NDA, estimating 121–141 seats, while the INDIA bloc was projected to secure 98–118 seats, indicating a close contest.

Bihar election results LIVE: In the ruling NDA alliance, the BJP and the JD(U) each contested 101 seats, while Union minister Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party fielded candidates on 29 seats. Besides, Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Morcha and Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) fielded their candidates on six seats each.

An interesting aspect of the seat-sharing arrangement was that Paswan’s party did not get the Hajipur seat, with the BJP fielding its own candidate instead. The Hajipur Assembly seat falls under the Hajipur Lok Sabha constituency, which Paswan won in the 2024 general elections by a commanding margin of over 1.7 lakh votes. However, for the Assembly polls, the BJP nominated Awadhesh Singh from Hajipur, who is contesting against Mahagathbandhan candidate and RJD leader Dev Kumar Chaurasia.

Bihar election news LIVE: The NDA had narrowly retained power with 125 seats in the previous assembly elections in Bihar in 2020, following which Nitish Kumar became Chief Minister. The Opposition Mahagathbandhan won around 110 seats, which is higher than what the pollsters predict for the alliance this time.

Most exit polls have projected around 75 seats for the Mahagathbandhan this time, with at least 133 seats for the ruling NDA. Some pollsters like Matrize and PMarq have even predicted over 142 seats for the ruling alliance, way above the majority mark of 122.

While the BJP welcomed the projections, the Mahagathbandhan dismissed them and remained firm that they would oust the ruling alliance from power in Bihar.

INDIA bloc's chief ministerial face Tejashwi Yadav went on to claim that the exit poll predictions started coming in even before voting for the final phase could end. "While voting was still underway, exit polls began to emerge. We neither live in false optimism nor in misunderstanding. These surveys are brought out merely to create a psychological impact, to put pressure on the officials involved in the election process,” he said.

Bihar election news LIVE: The 243-member assembly elections witnessed a historic voter turnout of 66.91%. Held in two phases on November 6 and 11, this year’s participation surpassed the turnout recorded in the 2020 elections, and the EC said this was the highest voter turnout recorded in Bihar since 1951. The second phase of the polls saw a higher voter turnout of 68.76%, compared to 65.08% in the first phase.

Alongside a record voter turnout, women in the state participated at notably higher rates than men. In about seven districts, women outvoted men by 14 percentage points, and in 10 other districts by 10 points. Patna was the only district where men recorded a higher turnout (60.05%) than women (57.88%).

Bihar election results LIVE: Key candidates in the fray include RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, the INDIA bloc’s chief ministerial face, contesting from Raghopur against Chanchal Singh of Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party; deputy chief ministers Samrat Choudhary from Tarapur and Vijay Kumar Sinha from Lakhisarai; BJP candidate and folk singer Maithili Thakur from Alinagar; Lalu Prasad Yadav’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav from Mahua; BJP’s Awadhesh Singh from Hajipur; and Congress’s Kamrul Hoda from Kishanganj, who is up against BJP’s Sweety Singh. Besides, popular singer Shatrughan Kumar urf Khesari Lal is also in the fray from the Chapra constituency, fielded against BJP's Chhoti Kumari.

Bihar election results news LIVE: Days ahead of result day, several pollsters, including Matrize, P-Marq, Peoples Pulse, Bhaskar, People's Insight, JVC and poll diary, predicted a landslide win for the NDA, comfortably crossing the majority mark of 122 seats.

A look at what pollsters projected:

- People's Insight - NDA (133-148 seats), INDIA bloc (87-102 seats)

- Matrize - NDA (147-167 seats), INDIA bloc (70-90)

- Dainik Bhaskar - NDA (145-160 seats), INDIA bloc (73-91 seats)

- PMarq - NDA (142-162 seats), INDIA bloc (80-98 seats)

- Chanakya Strategies - NDA (130-138 seats), INDIA bloc (100-108 seats)

However, Axis My India projected a narrow win for the NDA, with 121-141 seats, predicting a tough fight from the INDIA bloc, giving it 98 to 118 seats. Meanwhile, most pollsters predicted only 0-2 seats for Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party.

Bihar election results LIVE: With results expected soon, a look at some key battlefields in Bihar:

Raghopur: Tejashwi Yadav's bastion from where he is contesting for a third time, and is pitted against the BJP's Satish Kumar Yadav. It was long expected that Prashant Kishor would contest this seat and represent his Jan Suraaj Party, but the poll strategist-turned-politician bowed out of the elections this time.

Mahua: Expelled from the RJD and estranged from his family earlier this year, Tej Pratap Yadav is contesting from Mahua on a ticket from his newly formed party, Jan Shakti Janata Dal. The constituency has turned into a family-versus-family battle, with the RJD fielding sitting MLA Mukesh Roshan. Besides, Chirag Paswan's LJP has fielded Sanjay Kumar Singh from Mahua.

Alinagar: Popular folk singer Maithili Thakur is making her electoral debut from Alinagar, where she is fielded against RJD’s Vinod Mishra. Calling herself the “daughter of Mithila,” Thakur was earlier expected to contest from Benipatti in her home district of Madhubani but ultimately received a ticket from Alinagar.

Seemanchal region: This Bihar region comprises some very important seats, like Kishanganj, Purnia, Araria and Katihar. With a sizable Muslim population in the region, parties targeted minority votes throughout their campaign here. Prashant Kishor's JSP made Seemanchal the centrepiece of their campaign, with the leader holding meetings in Araria, Jokihat and Kishanganj. The BJP and Congress have also fielded candidates in Kishanganj and Purnia.

Bihar election results LIVE: The Election Commission of India (ECI) will begin counting of votes for the 243-seat Bihar assembly elections at 8 am and trends are likely to emerge soon after. The ECI will announce results of seats throughout the day, giving us a clear picture by evening on the winner.

The ECI has designated 46 counting centres across 38 districts in the state.

Voting for the Bihar assembly elections took place in two phases, on November 6 and November 11. While 121 seats went to polls in the first phase, voting for the remaining 122 constituencies took place in the second.

The Bihar elections are being seen as a dual contest between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), mainly comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as the Janata Dal-United (JD-U)and the Mahagathbandhan of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress primarily. Debutant Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) of poll analyst Prashant Kishor, which was being seen as a 'kingmaker', is projected to draw a blank in the high-stakes elections, as per pollsters' analysis.