Whose government will be formed in Bihar will become clear in some time. After the counting of votes starts, NDA seems to be getting the lead in the trends. Meanwhile, reactions of political parties are also coming to the fore. On one hand, BJP says that their alliance will win, while on the other hand, RJD says that the defeat will be of the Grand Alliance.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Dilip Jaiswal on Friday said that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is getting the public mandate in the 2025 assembly elections.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Jaiswal said that NDA had contested the Bihar Assembly elections in the name of Nitish Kumar.
Jaiswal said, “It was clear from the faces of the public that this time NDA is getting the mandate. NDA is going to form the government again. NDA leaders have worked very hard, be it Nitish Kumar, Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi, Upendra Kushwaha, PM Modi, JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah or Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. We have put ‘2025,’ on the face of Nitish Kumar. Contested elections again with Nitish’s slogan.”
Earlier, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and Grand Alliance CM face Tejashwi Yadav said on Friday morning that change will come and the Grand Alliance will form the government in Bihar.
“This will be the victory of the people. We are ready. Change will come. We are forming the government,” Tejashwi told reporters in Patna.
Meanwhile, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha took a dig at RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, saying the people of the state will end the “zamindari sentiment” by giving a strong message to the “crown of jungle raj”.
Sinha, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Lakhisarai assembly constituency, told ANI, “The public will decide who will win the elections. ‘Family-oriented people’ consider politics as their property. But the people of Bihar will give a strong message to the ‘Crown Prince’ of ‘Jungle Raj’ who was born with a golden spoon. The people of Bihar will end this Zamindari system.”
Counting of votes for Bihar Elections 2025 began at 8 am in 243 constituencies of the state, with tight security arrangements made at various counting centres. The process began today at 8 am, with the counting of postal ballots beginning first, followed by EVM counting at 8:30 am.
Bihar recorded a historic 67.13% voter turnout, the highest since 1951, with women voters outnumbering men (71.6% vs. 62.8%).
Extensive security arrangements have been made, with 4,372 counting tables and more than 18,000 counting agents monitoring the process. Most exit polls are predicting an easy victory for the NDA, while some have predicted a victory for the grand alliance.
According to the official press note of the ECI, 2,616 candidates and 12 recognized political parties participated in the polling held in two phases on November 6 and 11 and no one requested repoll in any constituency.
The main contest in Bihar elections is between the National Democratic Alliance led by CM Nitish Kumar and the grand alliance of Tejashwi Yadav.
In the 2020 election, the NDA won the majority in the assembly and won 125 seats, with Nitish Kumar taking oath as the Chief Minister again. However, in August 2022, Nitish Kumar broke the alliance with the BJP and resigned as Chief Minister, and formed the government with the RJD-Congress led grand alliance.
Nitish Kumar emerged as a key figure in the formation of the India Alliance. However, Nitish’s relationship with the RJD lasted less than two years and in January 2024, ahead of the parliamentary elections, Nitish returned to the NDA.
The BJP has improved its position between the 2015 and 2020 elections. In 2015, it contested 53 out of 157 seats and in 2020 it won 74 out of 110 seats. Rashtriya Janata Dal has also performed well. In 2015, it contested 80 seats out of 101 and in the 2020 elections, it fielded candidates on 144 seats, out of which it won 75 seats.
JD-U’s performance witnessed a decline in the last two elections. In 2015, it contested 101 seats, winning 71, and in 2020, it won 43 out of 115 seats. The Congress’s performance also saw a decline, falling from 27 seats in 2015 to 19 in 2020.