Patna: The results of the Bihar Assembly elections will be announced today, with counting scheduled to begin at 8am across 46 centres in 38 districts. Security has been intensified, including water cannons stationed outside the counting centre in Motihari, as officials brace for one of the state’s most closely watched vote counts in years.
Postal ballots will be tallied first and are expected to be completed by 8.30am, after which EVMs will be opened. Fourteen EVMs will be counted each round, with 14 tables set up at every centre. Barbigha is expected to declare its result first. By noon, the outcome for most of the 2,616 candidates—among them 29 ministers and 15 musclemen including Anant Singh—will be largely clear.
This year’s two-phase election recorded a turnout of 67.10%, nearly 10 percentage points higher than in 2020, marking the highest participation in recent assembly polls.
Deputy chief minister Vijay Kumar Sinha called it “the most historically important day of the grand festival of democracy”, adding that the mandate would strengthen “a developed Bihar”. RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari, however, claimed the NDA was living its “final hours”, insisting the Grand Alliance was heading towards forming the next government.
NDA leaders remain confident. State minister Prem Kumar predicted the alliance would win “over 200 seats”, citing what he called strong public support for development and women-centric schemes.
In Patna, counting will take place at AN College, where 244 tables have been prepared. The district magistrate said the process would be conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner. EVMs were opened from the strong room in the presence of candidates, election agents and central observers before counting began.
Trends are expected to emerge by 10am, with the first results likely after noon. Across the state, candidates have been gathering feedback from supporters, with many predicting victory while others brace for a tense wait.
