Bihar polls verdict today to decide political future of Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav
PATNA: All eyes are on the counting of votes that begins on Friday amid tight security arrangements for the recently held high-stakes Assembly elections in Bihar.
Preparing for the results, leaders across Bihar’s political spectrum on Thursday held hectic parleys and reviewed last-minute preparations within their respective parties. The assembly election results will determine whether Nitish Kumar, the longest-serving chief minister, secures yet another term—his fifth—as the JD(U) supremo and leading figure of the NDA alliance.
A majority of exit polls have predicted a clear advantage for the NDA, energising its constituents. The alliance is heavily banking on welfare benefits for women and Nitish Kumar’s governance record. Under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, 1.5 crore prospective women entrepreneurs are eligible to receive financial support. The NDA not only sought to get the social equation right but also relied on its star campaigners, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to highlight its development and good governance record. This time, women outnumbered men in voting by 8.8 percentage points, fuelling the NDA’s hopes that its social welfare schemes for women will power it to victory.
While Nitish Kumar attended 84 rallies, PM Modi addressed 14 rallies and participated in two roadshows. From the Mahagathbandhan side, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav took charge of the campaign and reached out to voters.
Tejashwi Yadav, the opposition coalition’s chief ministerial candidate, dismissed the exit poll predictions and claimed that the Mahagathbandhan would form the government with a thumping majority.
The NDA in Bihar comprises five parties, though the bulk of the 243 assembly seats were contested by JD(U) and BJP, each fielding candidates in 101 constituencies. The INDIA bloc includes the RJD, Congress, CPI(ML) Liberation, other Left parties, and the Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP).
Prominent candidates from both alliances include Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, JD(U)’s Tej Pratap, and Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the counting of votes across 46 centres in 38 districts of the state, officials said. Schools in Patna will remain closed on Friday in view of the counting exercise, they added.
Bihar recorded a historic voter turnout of 67.13 per cent in the elections to the 243-member assembly, held in two phases on November 6 and November 11. A total of 7.45 crore voters were eligible to decide the electoral fate of 2,616 candidates.
“Counting arrangements have been made in all 243 Assembly constituencies. The exercise will be conducted by 243 Returning Officers in the presence of 243 Counting Observers and the candidates or their agents.
“A total of 4,372 counting tables, each staffed with one supervisor, one counting assistant, and one micro-observer, have been set up. More than 18,000 counting agents appointed by the nominees will also oversee the process,” the Election Commission said in a statement. Counting of votes will commence at 8 a.m. on Friday.
“As per the Commission’s directions, postal ballot counting will begin first, and counting of EVMs will start at 8:30 am,” it added.
A poll official said EVMs and VVPATs used in the elections have been sealed inside strong rooms under a double-lock system.
RJD leader and INDIA bloc’s chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav said his party workers and supporters were ready to handle “any unconstitutional activity during counting.” Meanwhile, RJD leader Sunil Kumar Singh warned that a “Nepal-like situation” would erupt on the streets if “counting is halted, like in 2020”.
The BJP, on the other hand, said the RJD leaders’ remarks reflected their despair, as the people—who have sealed their mandate in EVMs—had decided to give another term to the NDA. State party president Dilip Jaiswal said BJP leaders were in constant touch with workers at counting centres and hoped that, as polling had gone peacefully, counting day would also remain incident-free. In a post on X, Yadav said, “I held a virtual meeting with party candidates and district office-bearers ahead of the counting. The justice-loving people of Bihar, the birthplace of democracy, and all social and political workers who love Bihar and the Constitution are alert, vigilant, cautious, and fully capable, aware, and prepared with enthusiasm, hope, and confidence to deal with any kind of improper or unconstitutional activity.”
Senior leaders of both alliances are continuously monitoring developments and remain in close contact with their party workers deployed at counting centres across the state.
Meanwhile, RJD has levelled serious allegations of irregularities in the handling of electronic voting machines (EVMs) ahead of the Bihar Assembly results, claiming that CCTV surveillance at several strong rooms was disrupted and that vehicles carrying EVMs were seen moving at night without authorization. The party alleged that in Nalanda, CCTV cameras monitoring EVMs were switched off for nearly 30 minutes, while in Hajipur, cameras reportedly went off one by one as a pickup van entered the premises late at night. Similar claims surfaced from Sasaram, where RJD leaders protested after spotting a truck allegedly carrying EVMs into a counting centre. However, the Election Commission and district authorities have refuted these charges, saying the cameras experienced temporary technical glitches and the trucks carried empty metal boxes, not EVMs. Officials have assured that strong rooms remain under continuous multi-layered security and surveillance, calling the allegations unfounded attempts to cast doubt on the counting process.
