Bihar vote counting: Vijay Kumar Sinha confident as exit polls predict NDA edge

New Delhi: Ahead of the vote counting for the Bihar Assembly Election 2025, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha offered prayers at the Ashok Dham temple in Lakhisarai on Friday.

Sinha, who is also the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from the Lakhisarai Assembly constituency, has served as one of Bihar’s two Deputy Chief Ministers since January 2024.

Visuals shared by IANS show Sinha performing a puja at the temple. He expressed confidence in the democratic process and the people’s verdict. His main challengers in the constituency are Congress’s Amresh Kumar and Jan Suraaj’s Suraj Kumar.

Most exit polls have given the NDA a slight advantage, generating optimism within the alliance.

However, RJD spokesperson Mritunjay Tiwari has voiced strong confidence in the Mahagathbandhan’s prospects, insisting that a change of government is imminent.

“The time Bihar was waiting for has arrived. We will succeed, I am fully confident. Whatever predictions have been made, today the results will be in our favour. The Nitish government is bidding farewell, its time is over, and the new government of the Mahagathbandhan under Tejashwi Yadav is coming...,” Tiwari told IANS, asserting that voters have delivered a decisive mandate.

He added that the results would clear the path for a Tejashwi Yadav-led government, noting that the “long-awaited moment for Bihar” has finally come as the counting begins.

The state is now set for a decisive day as counting of votes gets underway. With elaborate arrangements and strict protocols to ensure transparency, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has put comprehensive measures in place for a smooth and credible counting process.

Counting will be carried out across all 243 Assembly constituencies. Officials confirmed that each constituency will be monitored by a Returning Officer (RO), supported by a Counting Observer, alongside candidates and their authorised agents. A total of 4,372 counting tables have been deployed, each staffed by a counting supervisor, assistant, and micro-observer. More than 18,000 counting agents appointed by candidates will also oversee the process to ensure fairness and transparency.

IANS