Bihar Verdict 2025: Nitish magic endures as NDA surpasses all exit polls; Set for a resounding majority

Patna: Early counting trends indicate a sweeping victory for the NDA, which is leading in more than 195 of the 243 Assembly seats. The Mahagathbandhan, meanwhile, is lagging far behind, with leads in just a little over 40 seats. Nitish Kumar's JDU and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made the NDA gain a massive lead in trends, putting up an unbeatable performance against the Mahagathbandhan in the Bihar assembly elections 2025. The Janata Dal (United) was leading in 78 seats while BJP is leading in 88 seats till about 1 pm. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) comprises of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Janata Dal (United), along with the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha. This clearly reflects that Nitish Kumar’s influence remains strong across Bihar. Even after nearly 20 years as Chief Minister—barring a brief interval—his political appeal continues to resonate in every corner of the state. The massive figures that the NDA might return to power in Bihar is also creating a buzz over whether JD(U) National President Nitish Kumar will return as the state's Chief Minister, adding another term to his 20-year-old rule. Leads of NDA parties at 1 pm Janata Dal (United): 79 Bharatiya Janata Party: 88 Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas): 21 Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular): 4 Rashtriya Lok Morcha: 4 Almost all the Exit Polls also sided with NDA. Most of the pollsters projected a clear victory for the BJP-JDU-led NDA, with seats ranging between 121-209. The Mahagathbandhan on the other hand had a forecast of second shadow position with a range of 32-118 seats. But Axis My India was the one pollster who projected a tough fight between NDA and the Mahagathbandhan in the Bihar assembly elections. Axis My India predicted 121-141 seats for NDA, while giving Mahagathbandhan 98-118 seats. Nitish As The CM Face? However, despite the exit poll projections for parties and alliances, Nitish Kumar did not emerge as the preferred Chief Minister in the surveys. He was placed as the second choice, while Tejashwi Yadav ranked as the first preference among respondents.