180 and counting: NDA's leads soar, MGB nowhere near; BJP, JDU jostle for largest party spot

THe ruling subject popular confederation (NDA) took a monolithic top in early trends and continued to soar against the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, across several constituencies, as the Election Commission of India (ECI) counted votes for the Bihar assembly elections 2025 from 8 am on Friday. In trends, the NDA didn't just hit the majority mark of 122, but raced way ahead and was close to the 200-mark at 11 am.While initially the Mahagathbandhan's RJD was on top in party-wise leads for initial hours of counting, the fight for the single-largest party spot later was between Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) and the BJP.It was a tight fight between allies JD(U) and the BJP for the single-largest party spot, with the latter leading in at least 87 seats at 11:45 am, according to PValue data. The JD(U) was close behind and ahead in at least 77 seats. Follow Bihar election results live updatesWhile the NDA was ahead, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Mahagathbandhan initially appeared to be giving a neck-and-neck fight and was not very far behind. The gap between the two widened as counting progressed.According to PValue data of 11:50 am, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United)-led NDA was ahead in at least over 185 seats, way over the majority mark of 122. The RJD and Congress-led Mahagathbandhan was ahead in 49 seats only.Bihar election results 2025The Election Commission of India (ECI) began counting of votes with postal ballots first. The early leads are not necessarily an indication of the final outcome, with a clearer picture of the statewide trend expected to emerge as EVM votes are tallied through the day.Among the leading candidates was Tejashwi Yadav, who is fighting the elections from the Raghopur constituency.The Bihar assembly elections took place in two phases on November 6 and November 14, recording an overall polling percentage of 67.13 per cent - 65.08 per cent in Phase 1 and 69.20 per cent in Phase 2, the highest state has seen in elections since 1951, according to the ECI.Bihar assembly elections 2025The main contenders in the Bihar elections 2025 are the NDA of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal (United) mainly and the Mahagathbandhan, whose main parties are the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress.The simple majority mark in the 243-seat Bihar assembly elections is 122.While Mahagathbandhan's chief ministerial face is Tejashwi Yadav, the NDA has not announced a name but supporters believe it will be CM Nitish Kumar again and a section believes the alliance could float a surprise.In the 2020 Bihar assembly elections, the NDA narrowly retained power with a slender majority, winning 125 of the 243 seats. BJP emerged as the dominant partner in the alliance with 74 seats, while chief minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) secured 43.The Opposition Mahagathbandhan, led by Tejashwi Yadav’s RJD, put up a strong fight, bagging 110 seats and emerging as the single-largest party.The five-year tenure of the current Bihar assembly saw two flipflops by JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar, who in August 2022 broke away from the NDA and tied up with the RJD, making Tejashwi Yadav his deputy, and in January 2024 again switched to the NDA.Most exit polls projected a comfortable NDA win in Bihar assembly elections 2025, but some - like Axis My India - predicted a tough fight with a narrow edge to the BJP-JD(U) combine over the Mahagathbandhan.