The NDA is leading in 125 seats while the Grand Alliance is ahead in 107 seats as per trends
The ruling NDA is marginally past the Opposition Grand Alliance in the trends for 243 seats of the Bihar Assembly. However, only 25 per cent of the votes have been counting so far and it is too early to call the election in favour of the ruling alliance.
Counting of votes has been tardy because of various protocols in place in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Election Commission said that only one crore of the close to four crore votes polled had been counted so far. This means nearly three-fourth of the votes are yet to be counted.
In a press conference, the Election Commission said that the election results will be out late at night as the number of counting centres have increased to 55 this time. However, the EC added the pace of counting has not slowed down but the results will be "slightly delayed" due to the increase in EVMs. It also said that EVMs are robust and tamper-proof.
As of 2.45 pm, the NDA is leading in 125 seats while the Grand Alliance is ahead in 107 seats.
The RJD, projected in exit polls as the clear winner along with other Grand Alliance partners, is ahead in about 66 seats, the Congress in 20, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation) in 14, the CPI in three and the CPI(M) in two seat.
As per the early trends, RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav is leading Raj Kumar Ray of Janata Dal (United) in Hasanpur seat. His brother, RJD leader and Grand Alliance chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav, leads in Raghopur seat.
However, RJD seems to be on a wait-and-watch mode, with the Yadavs not to be seen outside the party office this afternoon. in the RJD camp, the initial euphoria appears to be dipping. A crowd of Tejashwi supporters that had gathered outside the 10 Circular Road residence of former chief minister Rabri Devi expecting a victory is thinning.
At the BJP office at Beer Chand Patel Path, where there was not much activity for the past three days after exit polls projected a majority for the Grand Alliance, several leaders and party workers have started coming in with beaming faces.
Ace shooter and BJP nominee Shreyasi Singh was leading over her rivals in Jamui.
HAM president and former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi is leading Uday Narain Choudhary of RJD in Imamganj seat.
State minister and BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav, however, is leading Pravin Singh of the Congress in Patna Sahib seat.
The LJP is leading in two seats, the AIMIM in three seat each and the BSP is leading in one seat.
Former Bollywood set designer Mukesh Sahni's Vikassheel Insaan Party, a fledgling outfit that joined the NDA just ahead of the assembly polls, may spring a surprise, having established a lead in six seats so far.
However, the fight is close in many seats, with at least 23 seats having a vote difference of less than 500. In 49 seats, the difference in votes in less than 1,000 votes. In 116 seats, the fate of candidates could be decided by a margin of less than 5,000 votes, as per latest trends.