Bihar Assembly Elections 2020 – NDA pasts majority mark

The counting of votes for 243 assembly constituencies in Bihar is under way. After an initial scare, the NDA has moved ahead of the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan, crossing the half-way mark of 122 seats needed to secure majority in Bihar Assembly. More than three hours after counting started, the NDA is ahead of MGB. NDA crosses halfway mark as per EC trends for 238 of 243 seats.

NDA leading on 132 seats – BJP 71, JDU 53, VIP 7, HAM 1
Mahagathbandhan ahead on 98 seats – RJD 57, Congress 21, Left 19
BSP leads on 1, AIMIM on 2, LJP on 4 & independents also ahead on 4

The closely fought elections saw incumbent Nitish Kumar, who is heading the JD(U)-BJP combine, take on the Tejashwi Yadav-led Mahagathbandhan comprising RJD, Congress and Left Parties. As per the latest trends, the NDA has gained a clear edge in the state and could be on course to retain power. Although there is still time for the final results, with several rounds of counting of votes left, there are strong indications that the ruling NDA may retain power with BJP winning more seats than JD(U). Significantly, Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party looks set to improve its tally and is leading on more numbers of seats than last time. LJP and other smaller parties may hold the key in the government formation if the NDA falls short of the half-way mark. Most exit polls had given the RJD-Congress-Left alliance a clear edge over the JD(U)-BJP coalition and has predicted that the ruling government was on its way out.