Exit poll predictions for the just-concluded Bihar assembly polls are out, and most pollsters have predicted a majority for the Janata Dal (United)-Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA combine in the crucial polls.
Major exit poll surveys predict a clear majority for the National Democratic Alliance in the state, and the Opposition Mahagathbandhan a distant second. The News 18 Mega Exit Poll has predicted a lead of 60-70 seats in the phase I alone for the NDA; the Mahagathbandhan will win 45-55 seats, as per News 18's poll.
The 2025 assembly polls witnessed the highest voter turnout in Bihar's history. The voting for the 243-seat assembly was conducted in two phases, on November 6 and November 11, and the final results will be declared on November 14. While a voter turnout of 65.08 per cent was recorded during phase I, during the second phase, till 5pm, 67.14 pc of voters exercised their franchise.
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JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar, who has been in power in Bihar for two decades, is hoping for another five-year term this election. However, it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah who led the campaigns in the state this election, indicating the BJP might not easily give away the chief minister's seat to JD(U) this time.
During the 2020 assembly polls, though the BJP emerged as the party with the largest number of seats within the NDA, it made Nitish Kumar chief minister; while the BJP won 74 seats, Nitish Kumar's party managed to win only 43.
Though Nitish Kumar severed ties with the BJP and joined hands with Mahagathbandhan for a brief period, he returned to the NDA fold before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The alliance became crucial in ensuring Prime Minister Modi's return to power for a third time at Centre. The BJP, which won 240 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, required support of Telugu Desam Party and JD(U) to form the government.
