Bihar Assembly Election Results 2025: Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav Face Off as Vote Counting Begins

Bihar witnessed a record voter turnout of 67.13 per cent in the recently concluded assembly elections for the 243-member legislative body.

Patna residents and citizens across Bihar are anxiously awaiting the election results scheduled for Friday. The counting will determine whether JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar, Bihar's longest-serving chief minister, secures an unprecedented fifth term, or if the state will see a change in leadership.

The historic voter participation of 67.13 per cent was recorded during the two-phase elections held on November 6 and 11.

Vote counting procedures will commence at 8 am, with initial trends expected to emerge around 9 am. The Election Commission has designated 46 counting centers distributed across the state's 38 districts.

The electoral fate of 2,616 candidates rests in the hands of 7.45 crore eligible voters who participated in this democratic exercise.

According to the Election Commission's Wednesday statement, all electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter-verified paper audit trails (VVPATs) have been secured in strong rooms under a double-lock system.

"The entire counting process will be videographed in the presence of central observers and candidates' representatives," the EC statement confirmed.

Security arrangements at counting centers follow a two-tier model. Central armed paramilitary forces (CAPFs) manage the inner security perimeter, while state police personnel maintain the outer security ring. Additionally, continuous CCTV surveillance and other security measures have been implemented.

A control room established within each strong room campus will be operated by senior district officials. District election officers and returning officers have been instructed to conduct frequent inspections of the strong rooms.

Exit polls have largely predicted a decisive victory for the NDA alliance, which includes Nitish Kumar's JD(U), much to the displeasure of the opposition INDIA bloc. Tejashwi Yadav, the young RJD leader nominated as the opposition coalition's chief ministerial candidate, has dismissed these predictions, confidently claiming that the Mahagathbandhan will form the government with a substantial majority.

The NDA in Bihar consists of five parties, though JD(U) and BJP contested the majority of seats, fielding candidates in 101 constituencies each. The opposing INDIA bloc comprises the RJD, Congress, CPI(ML) Liberation, other Left parties, and the Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP).

Key candidates from both alliances include Deputy Chief Ministers Samart Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, JJD's Tej Pratap, and Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar.