The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) appeared poised for a sweeping victory in the Bihar Assembly elections on Tuesday, with early trends indicating the alliance was leading in 190 of the 243 seats, well past the majority mark. The strong performance places Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on course for a fifth consecutive term, further extending his record as the state’s longest-serving chief minister.

As of 12 pm, the NDA had comfortably overtaken its 2020 tally of 122 seats, emerging as the clear frontrunner. In stark contrast, the opposition Mahagathbandhan was ahead in only 49 seats, while Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj failed to make any inroads and had not opened its account.

Among prominent candidates, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav was trailing by over 100 votes in his Raghopur constituency. Key NDA leaders, including Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, along with JJD leader Tej Pratap and Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar, are also in the fray.

Vote counting began at 8 am across the state. Most exit polls had predicted a decisive victory for the NDA—a forecast Tejashwi Yadav had earlier dismissed, asserting that the Mahagathbandhan would come to power with a strong mandate.

This election saw a historic voter turnout of 67.13%, recorded over two phases held on November 6 and 11, marking a significant civic participation in the 243-seat assembly polls.

With trends strongly in its favor, the NDA looks set to form the government once again, reinforcing its political dominance in Bihar.