Massive NDA Sweep in Bihar: BJP Becomes the Biggest Party, Mahagathbandhan Reduced to Just 35 Seats

Vote counting for the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections is underway, and by 5 p.m., early trends show the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) heading towards a sweeping majority. The NDA has secured strong leads on more than 200 seats in the 243-member Assembly.

This mandate is not only seen as a victory for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s leadership and the NDA coalition but also marks a historic performance for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). With leads on 91 seats, the BJP is emerging as the single largest party in Bihar for the first time.

The Janata Dal (United) is leading on 83 seats. The Tejashwi Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has been reduced to just 27 seats, while Congress is ahead on only 5 seats. Tejashwi Yadav is leading from the Raghopur constituency by around 13,000 votes in a tough contest. Tej Pratap Yadav, who split from the RJD to form his own party, is trailing at the third position from Mahua. The much-hyped Prashant Kishor–led Jan Suraaj is also struggling to open its account.

Seat tally so far:
BJP: 91
JD(U): 83
LJP (Ram Vilas): 20
HAM: 5
Rashtriya Lok Morcha: 4
Total NDA: 203

RJD: 27
Congress: 5
Left parties: 3
Total Mahagathbandhan: 35

Independents/Others: 4
Total seats: 243

NDA allies have also delivered strong performances. The Chirag Paswan–led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) is ahead on 20 seats, achieving an impressive strike rate. Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) is leading on 5 seats.

With the current trends, it is evident that the people of Bihar have once again placed their trust in the NDA alliance. However, it remains to be seen whether Nitish Kumar will return as Chief Minister or whether the BJP will put forward its own face this time.

The opposition Mahagathbandhan’s performance has been extremely weak. The RJD is trailing far behind with only 27 seats, and Congress has managed to maintain a lead on just five. Mukesh Sahani’s party—which was projected as the coalition’s deputy CM face—has failed to secure even a single lead. Left parties are ahead on only three seats.

Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM is leading on five seats, once again managing to make inroads into the Muslim vote bank. Several senior Mahagathbandhan candidates are facing tough contests. Tejashwi Yadav initially trailed in Raghopur, while RJD’s Bhojpuri star candidate Khesari Lal Yadav is trailing behind the BJP candidate in Chhapra.

How NDA surged ahead

Analysts attribute the NDA’s sweeping lead to the appeal of the “double-engine government” and a perception of good governance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s national popularity combined with Nitish Kumar’s long tenure created a strong pro-incumbency wave. Smooth coordination among NDA partners over seat-sharing and campaigning further strengthened their position.

The decision to transfer Rs 10,000 to women’s accounts right before the elections, along with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s women-centric schemes, appears to have paid off significantly. Beneficiaries of government welfare programmes, including women, students and low-income households, showed overwhelming support for the NDA.

Reacting to the trends, Union Home Minister Amit Shah posted on X: “Every vote cast by the people of Bihar is a mark of trust in the Modi government’s policy against infiltrators and their supporters…The people of Bihar have shown that the purification of voter rolls is essential, and there is no space for politics against it. This is why, under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, Congress has hit rock bottom in the state.”

The Mahagathbandhan suffered from visible disunity—from campaigning to seat-sharing and candidate selection. Until the last phase, the RJD, Congress and Left parties struggled to reach consensus on seat distribution, leading to friendly fights on multiple seats and costing the alliance crucial ground.

The BJP and its allies aggressively revived debates around crime and “jungle raj,” effectively cornering the RJD. Congress’s allegations of “vote theft” failed to resonate with the electorate. The NDA retained strong support among backward classes, Dalits and women—segments where the Mahagathbandhan could not make significant inroads. The RJD also failed to expand beyond its core MY (Muslim-Yadav) base.

Congress leader Ashok Gehlot alleged misuse of money power, saying, “The scale at which money is used here is unimaginable… How did the Election Commission allow Rs 10,000 to be deposited in the accounts of 1.35 crore women during the polls?”

Amid the counting process, RJD MP Manoj Jha claimed that the Election Commission was updating its website very slowly and alleged delays in the counting process. He said that nearly 60–70 seats were witnessing extremely narrow margins.