New Delhi, Nov 11: Most exit polls on Wednesday predicted a decisive victory for the NDA in the Bihar Assembly elections, indicating the return of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with a comfortable majority, while the Mahagathbandhan lagged behind and Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj registered a poor debut performance.
The two-phase elections, held on November 6 and 11, saw a record voter turnout of 67.14 per cent, the highest ever in the state. The results will be declared on November 14.
According to the Matrize Exit Poll, the NDA is projected to win 147–167 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan may secure 70–90, and Jan Suraaj 0–2. Dainik Bhaskar predicted a similar outcome, giving the NDA 145–160 seats and the Mahagathbandhan 73–91.
Other agencies mirrored this trend — People’s Insight gave 133–148 seats to the NDA and 87–102 to the opposition alliance, while People’s Pulse forecast 133–159 for the NDA and 75–101 for the Mahagathbandhan. JVC projected 135–150 seats for the NDA, and Polstrat estimated 133–148.
Chanakya Strategies predicted a closer contest with 130–138 for the NDA and 100–108 for the Mahagathbandhan, while P-Marq forecast an NDA tally of 142–162, Mahagathbandhan 80–98, and Jan Suraaj 1–4 seats.
With the majority mark at 122 in the 243-member Assembly, the NDA appears comfortably placed to retain power. The ruling alliance includes the BJP, JD(U), and LJP (Ram Vilas), while the INDIA bloc, led by RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav with Congress and Left parties, is striving for a comeback.
Exit polls, based on voter interviews post-ballot, often differ from actual results — but the overall projections signal strong voter confidence in Nitish Kumar’s leadership as the NDA looks set for another term in Bihar. (Agencies)
