The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance surged past the 160-seat mark as counting for the 2025 Bihar Assembly election progressed past the two-hour mark Thursday morning, vindicating Home Minister Amit Shah’s confident pre-election predictions.
Early Results
At 10:15 AM, the NDA led in 162 seats while the opposition alliance—led by Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress—held 77 seats across the 243-member assembly.
Amit Shah’s Prediction Realized
The NDA’s impressive performance echoed Shah’s remarks at the NDTV Bihar Power Play summit: “The NDA will win 160 seats (and) form the government with two-thirds majority.” He reiterated his prediction a week later, again telling the media of a 160+ seat win.
Last week, Shah dismissed talk of rifts within the five-member NDA, led by BJP and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal United, including Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party.
“The way people are cheering for us… I feel the people of Bihar are with the NDA, the BJP… I will call this a fight by the five Pandavas (a reference to the Hindu epic Mahabharat) because all five constituent parties (i.e., JDU, BJP, LJP, HAM, and RLM) are united… without any dispute,” Shah stated.
Exit Poll Accuracy
Exit polls backed the NDA; all 13 studied by NDTV handed the Nitish Kumar-led alliance a clear win, though some forecast a tighter battle with the Mahagathbandhan. As counting began Thursday morning, they were proven accurate as the NDA raced into an early lead and inexorably extended it.
Nitish Kumar’s Resurgence
Beyond the NDA’s potential 160-seat haul, Nitish Kumar’s resurgence emerges as a major story. The JDU was relegated to ‘little brother’ status after the 2020 election, finishing with only 43 seats to BJP’s 74. Normal service appears resumed, with JDU on course to win 74 seats.
RJD’s Decline
Another significant development is RJD set to lose its single-largest party status. In 2020, the party won 75 seats, one more than BJP. This time, it appears positioned to finish well behind.
The results mark a decisive victory for the NDA alliance, reaffirming its hold on Bihar politics.
