NDA Leads in Bihar Elections, Leaders Respond

New Delhi: Counting trends in the Bihar Assembly elections indicate a strong lead for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is ahead in around 194 seats. The results suggest what could be one of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s most decisive electoral victories, with several BJP leaders and allies welcoming the outcome while opposition voices raised concerns.

The Janata Dal (United) underscored the pivotal role played by women voters in shaping the mandate, stating that their trust has been central to the NDA’s success. Emphasising the sentiment, the party posted on X: "Jeeta hai Bihar ki mahilao ka vishwaas... Jeeta hai NDA, jeeta hai Bihar."

BJP leader Manoj Tiwari said the people of Bihar had endorsed Nitish Kumar’s push for development and rejected what he described as the opposition’s divisive politics. He added that the victory reflected trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, noting that Modi had emphasised the importance of developing the Purvanchal region for the country’s progress.

Uttar Pradesh Minister Jayveer Singh expressed gratitude to the people of Bihar, framing the NDA’s surge past the 200-seat mark as a resounding endorsement of Prime Minister Modi’s leadership. He stated, "Thanks to the people of Bihar for trusting Prime Minister Modi and the NDA, and giving the mandate to form the government with a massive majority. Certainly, we will strive to live up to the promises we have made and the expectations that the people of Bihar have from us... The opposition will always make excuses for their defeat."

In Darbhanga, singer and BJP candidate Maithili Thakur, who is leading from Alinagar constituency, described her first electoral success as “like a dream.” She said she hoped to meet the expectations of her voters and serve her constituency as their representative, adding that her focus would remain on Alinagar and its people.

West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari hailed the NDA’s decisive performance in Bihar, framing it as momentum for Bengal. He asserted: "Ek hi slogan hai- Bihar ki jeet hamari hai, ab Bengal ki baari hai" ("There is only one slogan – Bihar's victory is ours, now it is Bengal's turn...").

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of engaging in an “electoral conspiracy” through the Special Intensive Revision process. He claimed that such practices would not succeed in other states, including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh, and described the BJP as a “deceit.”

AIMIM leader Waris Pathan rejected criticism of his party being the BJP’s ‘B team’ and instead blamed the Mahagathbandhan partners for fragmenting minority votes. He remarked: "This is a huge boost for us that we are leading. We hope to win a total of 7-8 seats by the end of the counting. The RJD and Congress are themselves responsible for the division of Minority votes, as we had offered them the opportunity to come together by seeking only six seats from the Mahagathbandhan, but they refused. First in Maharashtra and now in Bihar, they called us B team and faced defeat and humiliation."

"There was a tactical mistake by Mahagathbandhan in Bihar where they declared a man from a 2 per cent voter base of the Malla community, a person from 14 per cent caste voter base was declared Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadanvis' face, but the community with 19 per cent voter base was completely neglected and the results are visible for the same," Pathan said.

Union Minister of State Nityanand Rai thanked the people of Bihar for their support, saying the results showed their faith in Prime Minister Modi. He remarked that Bihar remained in Modi’s heart and that Modi stayed in the hearts of the people of Bihar. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya also welcomed the trends, calling them “much better than expected” and stating that the opposition had no major issues to raise.

BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia celebrated the NDA’s massive lead, saying Bihar was “going to write a new chapter in its history” by trusting Modi and Nitish Kumar. He dismissed the opposition’s criticism as “dirty politics” and predicted that they would blame Electronic Voting Machines after the results.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor urged caution in interpreting the early trends, stressing that the final word rests with the Election Commission. He remarked, "It's a question of leading at the moment. They are leading by a rather large margin. But let's wait for the Election Commission to discuss and disclose the results. I am sure that the party has a responsibility to study in detail the causes. But remember, we were not the senior partner in the alliance and that RJD also has to look carefully at its own performance. But I will say that on a matter like this, it's very important that we look at the totality of our performance. Elections are about a number of factors."

Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh has hit out at alleged electoral irregularities while urging his party to rethink its strategy. In a post, he claimed: "What I suspected has come true. 62 lakh votes were cut, 20 lakh votes were added, out of which 5 lakh votes were cast without filling the SIR form. Most of the votes cut were from the poor, Dalits, and minority classes. On top of that, there remains suspicion over the EVM."

He further pressed the Congress to shift gears, writing: "@INCIndia needs to pay special attention to its organisation. Today's election is about intensive public contact at the polling booth, not rallies and public meetings. Congratulations and best wishes to the victorious candidates."

As counting continues, the NDA’s commanding lead signals a decisive mandate in Bihar, strengthening the position of Nitish Kumar and reinforcing the BJP’s influence in the state.

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