Patna: As counting for the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 got underway on Friday, a poster outside Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s residence caught attention, reading: “Tiger Abhi Zinda Hai, Hindu Muslim Sikh-Isai, Sab Ko Bahut-Bahut Dhanyawad” (“The Tiger is still alive, thanks to all Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians”).

A day before the results, the Janata Dal (United) had also displayed similar posters outside its party office featuring Nitish Kumar with the bold caption, “Tiger Abhi Zinda Hai”. The party reinforced the message on its official X handle with an image of Kumar and the words, “Sirf ek din ka intezar, phir se Nitish sarkar” (“Just one more day’s wait for the Nitish government again”).

Counting for all 243 constituencies began at 8 a.m. with postal ballots, followed by votes from Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at 8:30 a.m., under tight security across 46 centres in 38 districts.

Bihar Election Results 2025

Early trends in the Bihar elections show the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) moving past the halfway mark, strengthening its lead over the Mahagathbandhan.

By 9:15 am, the NDA was ahead in 130 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan led in 65 constituencies, reflecting a 27% conversion rate.

The Bharatiya Janata Party topped the chart with leads in 60 seats, followed by its partner Janata Dal (United), which was ahead in 54 seats. Their conversion rates averaged 67%y.

The Mahagathbandhan appeared to be facing major setbacks, with the Rashtriya Janata Dal losing 12 seats compared to 2020 and leading in only 45 constituencies. The Indian National Congress was ahead in 12 seats.