NDA wave sweeps Bihar; Opposition in tatters

Bihar elections: NDA at 204, MGB stuck at 32

The NDA is now leading in 204 seats, and the Opposition Grand Alliance is still trailing with leads in only 32 seats.  

Tejashwi leads Raghopur by 1,186 votes in Bihar polls

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav is leading in Raghopur by 1186 votes. Besides Yadav, prominent candidates of both alliances include Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD)'s Tej Pratap and Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar

Kushwaha tells Tejashwi: Change your ways or stay out of power

Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha criticised RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and the Opposition Mahagathbandhan, saying their approach and conduct had alienated voters in the Bihar Assembly elections. In a sharp message to Tejashwi, he said, “I want to tell Tejashwi Yadav that if he wants to come to power in the next 10 or 20 years, he will have to change his pattern. He and his people's behaviour will have to change.”

Kushwaha dismissed the Opposition’s claims regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, asserting that the issue had little relevance. “SIR wasn't an issue at all. They should be aware of the ground reality,” he said, adding that the people of Bihar had already delivered their verdict. “The people of Bihar have rejected them, and they have created such a face in Bihar that they were bound to be rejected.”

He accused the RJD of trying to mislead voters. “By making statements that the public hates, the opposition, the RJD, wants to deceive the public. They cannot deceive the people of Bihar in that way,” Kushwaha said.

Contrasting this with the NDA’s governance, he added, “On one hand, our government is doing so much good work, and on the other hand, these people want to come to power by making baseless statements and inciting public sentiment. This is not possible.”

Tejashwi trails by 8,461 votes in Raghopur

RJD leader and Grand Alliance CM candidate Tejashwi Yadav is now trailing by 8461 votes from the Raghopur constituency.

BJP leads in 96 seats, JD(U) 85; RJD 23, Congress 1

The BJP is leading in 96 seats and its NDA alliance partner JD (U) is leading in 85 seats. As for the Opposition, the RJD is leading in 23 seats and Congress is leading only in one seats.

BJP leads in 95 seats, JD(U) 84; RJD 24, Congress 2

The BJP is leading in 95 seats, and its NDA alliance partner JD (U) is leading in 84 seats. As for the Opposition, the RJD is leading in 24 seats, and Congress is leading only in two seats. 

BJP-led NDA ahead in 208 seats; MGB far behind at 28

The NDA is now leading in 208 seats while the Grand Alliance is leading only in 28 seats. 

VIP set for wipeout; Sahani says NDA won through ‘Rewadi’

Mukesh Sahani, who was projected by the Mahagathbandhan as its deputy chief ministerial face, appears headed for a major setback as his Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) is on track to draw a blank in the Bihar Assembly elections. The result highlights what many see as a misreading of ground realities by the opposition alliance.

Speaking to NDTV, Sahani said he accepted the mandate but argued that the NDA’s victory was driven by “freebies”. He claimed the Election Commission ignored repeated opposition complaints about vote theft. “We respect the mandate… In PM Modi's language, the NDA is forming a government by distributing ‘rewadi’. We saw this in how Nitish Kumar got the women's vote by transferring Rs 10,000 to their accounts,” he said. He added that Nitish Kumar “managed to save his government by distributing Rs 10,000,” calling this his “last election”.

Sahani also said the opposition had raised concerns through the voter adhikar yatra with Rahul Gandhi, alleging many names were unfairly removed from voter lists. “But that did not happen,” he said, adding that an internal review would be done with Mahagathbandhan allies.

After tough negotiations, the VIP was allotted 12 seats by the RJD, Congress and other allies, with Sahani also securing agreement on being named deputy chief minister if the alliance won.

After Bihar surge, BJP sets sights on West Bengal

The BJP today used its strong performance in the Bihar assembly election to signal its next political focus, Mamata Banerjee’s West Bengal, which votes in 2026. As counting trends showed the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) heading for a decisive victory in Bihar, senior party leader and IT cell head Amit Malviya said the mandate reflected the NDA’s “credibility” and would carry direct implications for West Bengal.

Speaking to NDTV, Malviya argued that the results highlighted “the kind of work that the NDA government has been doing,” especially in areas related to youth employment and women’s economic empowerment. He credited Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the BJP’s Bihar unit for “creating opportunities for the youth” and for “enabling women to start their own businesses,” suggesting that these policies had shaped voter sentiment.

Malviya also drew a sharp contrast with what he described as the “disastrous 15 years of Lalu Prasad Yadav,” a period he claimed had hindered Bihar’s progress. By invoking this comparison, he framed the NDA’s performance as a rejection of past governance models and an endorsement of current development strategies, signalling that the BJP intends to take this narrative into the political battleground of West Bengal next.

AIMIM’s Pathan questions RJD, says Muslims deserve representation

AIMIM leader Waris Pathan has sharply criticised the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) over its performance in the Bihar elections, questioning the party’s treatment of Muslim voters and leaders. Pointing to the community’s sizable presence in the state, he said, “19 per cent of them in Bihar are Muslims. Is there no one among them who could become the Deputy Chief Minister or the Chief Minister?”

Pathan also condemned remarks made by RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, saying, “Tejashwi called our party president an extremist... He should apologise to all the Muslims," reported NDTV. He argued that the AIMIM’s electoral performance showed growing support and underlined that the party had urged the Mahagathbandhan to fight together.

“We had already told the Mahagathbandhan members that we should fight together to prevent the division of secular votes and we had asked for six seats. But there was arrogance...” he said, holding the opposition alliance responsible for ignoring AIMIM’s warnings about splitting votes.