Bihar elections: Two more exit polls give NDA the lead; Kishor's a flop

Results To Be Declared Tomorrow

Two exit polls released Wednesday put NDA in the lead in Bihar, but while one projected a decisive verdict for BJP-led alliance with nearly two-thirds of the assembly's 243 seats, the other suggested it had a slender two percentage point lead in a close race and could be just a little over the halfway mark.

The India Today-Axis My India poll projected that with 43% of the votes, NDA would get anywhere between 121 and 141 seats while the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan would end up with 41% of the votes and 98-118 seats. The midpoints of the ranges, at 131 and 108, are quite close to the verdict five years ago when NDA won 125 seats and MGB 110.

Today's Chanakya projected 148-172 seats for the NDA and 65-89 seats for the MGB. The two-thirds mark is 162 seats. This poll gave the NDA a 44% vote share, six percentage points higher than the 38% projected for MGB.

Both exit polls suggested that the much-talked-about Jan Suraaj of Prashant Kishor would have little impact and win few if any seats.

Interestingly, the India Today poll forecasts that RJD will remain the single largest party in the assembly, but BJP could drop to the third spot with JDU improving its tally and the saffron party doing significantly worse than in 2020.

Earlier, a slew of exit polls on Tuesday had all given NDA a clear majority in the state assembly, differing only in the extent of the incumbent alliance's victory. The results are to be declared on Friday.