NDA wave sweeps Bihar; Opposition in tatters

Tejashwi Yadav leads by 585 votes in Raghopur

RJD leader and Grand Alliance CM candidate Tejashwi Yadav is now leading by 585 votes from the Raghopur constituency.

KC Tyagi credits Nitish’s leadership for JD(U)’s strong show

JD(U) leader KC Tyagi credited Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's "charismatic" leadership for the NDA's strong showing in early trends of the assembly election results. Tyagi said the JD(U) had maintained from the beginning that it would secure around 80 seats.

“Even before the elections began, it was said that JD(U) would win around 80 seats. This became possible due to the charismatic leadership of Nitish Kumar,” Tyagi told ANI.

Taking a dig at the Opposition, he added, “RJD+ sometimes says they will score a bumper victory, but when results come, they blame the Election Commission, EVMs, or the SIR.”

BJP leads in 88 seats, JD(U) 79; RJD at 32, Congress 4

The BJP is leading in 88 seats and its NDA alliance partner is leading in 79 seats. As for the Opposition, the RJD is leading in 32 seats and Congress is leading only in four seats. 

NDA leads in 195 seats, Grand Alliance trails at 42

The NDA alliance is now leading in 195 seats in Bihar while the Opposition Grand Alliance is leading in 42 seats. 

Congress needs organisation overhaul, says Digvijaya Singh

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has called for urgent introspection within the party following its poor performance in the Bihar Assembly elections. As per the latest data, the Congress is expected to win only six seats, down from 19 in the previous election. Singh stressed the need for the party to strengthen its grassroots network, saying, “Congress needs to pay special attention to its organisation. Today's election is about intensive public contact at the polling booth, not rallies and public meetings," reported NDTV.

The veteran leader also supported the party’s charge that votes were “stolen” under the guise of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter rolls, which the Election Commission claimed was a routine cleaning exercise.

Singh alleged that the majority of voters whose names were removed belonged to poor, Dalit, and minority communities. “What I suspected has come true. 6.2 million votes were cut, 2 million added, and 5 lakh cast without filling the SIR form,” he posted online.

He further raised doubts about the reliability of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The Congress has accused the EC of aiding the BJP through the SIR exercise, which reportedly removed 69 lakh voters in Bihar, a claim the Election Commission has denied.

RJD trails in Danapur despite Lalu's roadshow for Ritlal

In Danapur, RJD is facing a setback as its candidate and incumbent MLA Ritlal Yadav trails by over 6,000 votes behind BJP’s Ram Kripal Yadav. Ritlal, who contested from jail, was backed strongly by RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, who held his only roadshow of the campaign in this constituency.

The seat held personal significance for Lalu’s family. Ram Kripal Yadav, once a close aide of Lalu, switched to the BJP in 2014 and defeated Lalu’s daughter Misa Bharati in Patliputra in 2014 and 2019. Though Misa won in 2024, Ram Kripal now returns to state politics with this contest.

Congress, RJD candidates trail as NDA maintains lead

Several key candidates from the Opposition Grand Alliance are trailing as counting progresses in the Bihar Assembly elections. Among the most prominent names is Bihar Congress president Rajesh Ram, who is behind in Kutumba, while Congress Legislative Party leader Shakeel Ahmed Khan is trailing in Kadwa.

In Gaura Bauram, Santosh Sahani, brother of VIP chief and Deputy CM face Mukesh Sahani, has managed just 98 votes after four rounds. Interestingly, Mukesh had endorsed rebel RJD candidate Afzal Ali Khan in the same seat, who is also trailing by 4,740 votes behind BJP’s Sujit Kumar.

RJD’s Khesari Lal is trailing in Chapra, and CPI-MLL candidate Divya Gautam, sister of the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, is behind by over 30,000 votes in Digha.

IIP chief Indrajeet Prasad Gupta, who recently joined the Grand Alliance, is trailing in Saharsa, while RJD candidate Shivani Shukla, daughter of gangster Munna Shukla, is also behind in Lalganj.

Tej Pratap Yadav, expelled from the RJD and contesting from Mahua under his Janashakti Janta Dal banner, is in fourth position with 4,941 votes. LJP-R’s Sanjay Kumar is leading the seat by 6,784 votes ahead of RJD’s Mukesh Raushan.

Meanwhile, don Anant Singh is leading in Mokama by over 15,000 votes.

NDA leads in 193 Seats, Grand Alliance trails with 45

The NDA alliance is now leading in 193 seats in Bihar while the Opposition Grand Alliance is leading in 45 seats. 

NDA leads in Bihar; BJP mocks Rahul over '95 defeats'

As the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) moves towards a clear victory in the Bihar Assembly elections, the BJP intensified its criticism of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. On Friday, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya targeted Gandhi over what he called a long string of electoral losses, sharing a map that claims to list 95 defeats for the Congress under his leadership since 2004.

Malviya posted a graphic detailing elections where Congress either failed to gain power or lost control in various states. "Rahul Gandhi! Another election, another defeat! If there were awards for electoral consistency, he'd sweep them all," Malviya remarked on social media, adding that even "setbacks must be wondering how he finds them so reliably."

The map cited defeats in states including Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and several others across the North, South, and Northeast, as well as Union Territories.

Meanwhile, the NDA, comprising the BJP, JD(U), LJP(RV), HAM, and RLM, is leading in over 190 seats out of 243. The BJP leads in 84 seats, JD(U) in 76, and allies in several others. The opposition Grand Alliance is ahead in just 49 constituencies, with the RJD leading in 34 and the Congress in six.

BJP leads in 86 seats, JD(U) 76; RJD at 35, Congress 6

The BJP is leading in 86 seats and its NDA alliance partner is leading in 76 seats. As for the Opposition, the RJD is leading in 35 seats and Congress is leading only in six seats.