Bihar polls vote counting on Nov 14, all you need to know

Following the completion of the second phase on November 11 across all 243 seats, results for the Bihar Assembly elections will be announced on November 14. As the high-stakes decisive battle nears its end, it will be revealed whether the ruling NDA (National Democratic Alliance) led by JD(U)'s Nitish Kumar, retains power for a record tenth term or Tejashwi Yadav's RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) led Mahagathbandhan manages to bounce back with a generational change, dethroning the nine-time CM. 

Voting for 121 seats across 18 districts has already concluded in the first phase on November 6, with a total voter turnout of 65.08%, significantly higher than the 57.29% turnout in the 2020 assembly polls. 

The remaining 122 constituencies across 20 districts will observe voting on November 11 in the second phase, including Gaya, Nawada, Jamui, Bhagalpur, and Purnia. 

As confirmed by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar, polling in the first phase was concluded peacefully, with an 8% increase in voter participation as compared to the previous polls. 

Bihar elections 2025: Key points

• Currently in power, the NDA, which consists of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), Janata Dal -United (JD(U), Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM- Secular), along with some other small parties, has a total strength of 132 MLAs in the outgoing assembly, a comfortable hold above the 122-mark majority. 

• RJD has a total of 75 MLAs, as it emerged as the single largest party in the state in 2020. 

• It is followed by Congress with 19 seats, and the CPI (ML)-Liberation at 12. 

• 74-year-old incumbent CM Nitish Kumar, who has consistently dominated Bihar politics for nearly 20 years, is known for switching alliances several times since 2020. Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha lead the BJP within the NDA's government in Bihar. 

• The grand opposition alliance led by Tejashwi Yadav, the challenging CM face and son of former CM Lalu Prasad Yadav, is raising issues like unemployment and development gaps to come into rule this time. 

• Meanwhile, what's causing more intrigue and anticipation is the entry of political strategist Prashant Kishor, with his newly formed political outfit Jan Suraaj Party. As his party makes an electoral debut on all 243 seats, it might make some noise or spoil the party for the bigwigs. 

​What happened in the 2020 elections? 

In the 2020 assembly polls, the NDA won 125 seats with a narrow majority, out of which the BJP won 74 seats, while the JD(U) managed to secure 43 seats. Despite RJD emerging as the largest party with 75 seats, Nitish Kumar formed the government along with the BJP. 

Ever since then, there has been a shift in alliances, with Nitish Kumar briefly returning to the RJD in 2022, then again rejoining the NDA in 2024.