NDA surges ahead in Bihar; Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) emerges as single-largest party in early trends

Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) posted a remarkable upswing, emerging as the single-largest party in the first several rounds of counting.

The party was leading in a majority of the seats it contested, while ally BJP also secured strong leads across multiple constituencies — positioning the NDA firmly ahead of the opposition.

By mid-morning, trend trackers across major networks showed the NDA tally moving past the 150–160 seat range, placing the coalition on course to form the next government if these numbers hold.

Election analysts, however, cautioned that several rounds of counting remained and fluctuations were still possible as postal ballots and EVM rounds continued.

The opposition Mahagathbandhan — with the Congress contesting 61 seats — lagged significantly, managing leads only in a handful of constituencies.

Political observers noted that early patterns reflected a consolidation of NDA votes and inconsistent opposition performance across key regions.

Counting was still in progress at centres across the state, and officials urged caution before making final projections as a total turnaround in favour of Mahagathbandhan was witnessed in 2015.

But as the morning trendline stood, the numbers strongly favoured an NDA return, with Nitish Kumar positioned as the central force within the alliance.

Defying the exit poll predictions, former political strategist Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj is leading in three seats as per the initial trends.

The three seats are Chanpatia, Chainpur and Kargahar.

The exit polls had predicted the strategist-turned-politician's party would draw a blank in its electoral debut.