India: Celebrations begin in Bihar as NDA heads for big win

Patna: The sounds of drums, colour-smeared faces and the glow of celebratory firecrackers filled the streets outside the Janata Dal (United) headquarters in Patna on Thursday morning as early trends pointed to a sweeping victory for the National Democratic Alliance in the Bihar Assembly elections. Jubilant JD(U) workers danced, distributed sweets and declared that the verdict was nothing short of a festival for the party.

“We congratulate Nitish Kumar. The people of Bihar have made Nitish Kumar victorious. We will celebrate Holi and Diwali here,” JD(U) leader Chotu Singh said as supporters cheered and embraced one another. Hoardings proclaiming “Bihar Ka Matlab Nitish Kumar” surfaced near the Chief Minister’s residence, capturing the buoyant mood in the ruling camp.

By mid-morning, the NDA had firmly crossed the halfway mark of 122 seats, with leads in nearly 190 constituencies — well on course to return to power.

The early battle within the NDA over which partner would emerge as the dominant force remained neck and neck through the morning. At 11am, JD(U) briefly surged ahead, leading in 83 seats while the BJP was ahead in 78. But the trend later reversed. As of noon, the BJP had taken a clear lead, ahead in 87 constituencies, securing the position of the single largest party. The JD(U) was leading in 76 seats, continuing to hold its ground in its traditional strongholds.

Chirag Paswan’s LJP(RV) also put up a stronger-than-expected performance, leading in 22 seats. Overall, the NDA was ahead in 188 seats according to figures from the Election Commission of India, placing it far ahead of the Opposition alliance.

The Mahagathbandhan, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), lagged well behind with leads in only 47 seats. The RJD accounted for the bulk of these, leading on around 33–36 seats.

Counting began at 8am under multi-tier security arrangements across the state, starting with postal ballots and followed by EVM counting from 8.30am. Over 18,000 counting agents monitored the process, which saw over 700 million voters participating in two phases on November 6 and 11.

For Nitish Kumar, often labelled “Paltu Ram” by his critics for shifting alliances, the results again underline his enduring political relevance. His focus on rural infrastructure, direct welfare support and governance reforms continues to resonate with a cross-section of voters. Despite the shifting sands of Bihar’s coalition politics, Nitish has managed to steer every election around his leadership for over two decades.

The other defining story of the day was the Congress party’s deepening marginalisation in Bihar politics. Contesting 60 seats as part of the Mahagathbandhan, the party was leading in only five or six constituencies by midday — a conversion rate of barely 10 per cent. The poor strike rate is even more pronounced compared to 2020, when Congress had won 27 out of 70 seats with a 38 per cent conversion rate.

Despite high-profile efforts by the party leadership to revive its fortunes — ranging from Rahul Gandhi’s “vote chori” allegations against the Centre and the Election Commission to campaigns such as the Voter Adhikar Yatra — the messaging failed to strike a chord with Bihar’s electorate, which appeared more focused on state-centric issues.

The Congress’ persistently weak showing has also become a liability for its ally, the RJD, which continues to carry the alliance almost single-handedly. While Tejashwi Yadav’s party maintained leads in the low 30s, it was nowhere close to challenging the NDA’s dominance.

For the Mahagathbandhan, the verdict marks yet another setback. For the Congress, it underlines an unmistakable decline in a state where it once held chief ministerial posts and organisational strength.

- with inputs from IANS, ANI