The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is headed for a historic and resounding victory in the Bihar Assembly elections, with the final results declared on Friday marking a massive mandate for the coalition.
A Landslide Victory for the NDA
Counting of votes for the 243-seat Bihar Assembly began in the morning, and the NDA, comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Nitish Kumar's JD(U), quickly took a commanding lead that only strengthened as the day progressed. According to the latest data from the Election Commission of India (ECI), the alliance is projected to secure a stunning lead in over 200 seats.
By 4:30 PM on result day, the trends painted a clear picture of an NDA sweep. The coalition was leading in a combined total of 204 seats. The BJP was ahead in 93 constituencies, while its key partner, the JD(U), was leading in 83. Other alliance partners, the LJP, HAM, and RLM, were leading in 19, 5, and 4 seats respectively.
JD(U)'s Stellar Performance
The JD(U), under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, delivered an exceptional performance, nearly doubling its tally from the previous election. Compared to the 43 seats it won in the 2020 Bihar polls, the party was leading in 77 seats and had already won six constituencies outright on the day of the result declaration.
In a stark contrast, the principal opposition, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), was leading in only 27 seats. The Congress party trailed significantly with leads in just four constituencies, falling behind even the AIMIM in a surprising turn of events.
The Winning Formula: Empowering Women Voters
A key factor behind this decisive victory appears to be Nitish Kumar's unwavering focus on Bihar's women electorate. For decades, Kumar has cultivated a strong woman vote bank, and this election proved its decisive power.
In the run-up to the 2025 polls, the JD(U) government launched the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, a massive ₹7,500-crore direct benefit transfer scheme. Under this initiative, a staggering 1.2 crore women directly received ₹10,000 each in their bank accounts. The scheme was personally endorsed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who inaugurated the payments at a rally.
This direct financial support acted as the cherry on top for a long list of women-centric policies in Bihar, including 50% reservation for women in panchayats introduced in 2006 and a 35% quota in state government jobs established in 2013.
The electoral impact of these measures was undeniable. In the 2025 election, the number of women voters surpassed that of men. Data from the Election Commission revealed that women's turnout was a robust 71.78%, significantly higher than the 62.98% turnout for men. Patna was the only district where male voters outnumbered females. Historical trends also show that Nitish Kumar's party has consistently performed better in constituencies with a higher share of women voters.
Celebrating the triumph, the JD(U) posted on X, "The trust of Bihar's women has triumphed.. The NDA has triumphed, Bihar has triumphed." This statement underscores the critical role that women voters played in scripting this historic victory for the NDA alliance.
