With most exit polls predicting a return to power for the NDA alliance, Union Minister Nityanand Rai has welcomed the ‘seal of approval,’ while RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav vehemently dismissed the projections as ‘psychological pressure’ ahead of Friday’s vote count.
November 13, 2025: The political landscape in Bihar is sharply divided between celebration and suspicion, just hours before the highly anticipated counting of votes for the 243-member Assembly elections on Friday, November 14.
The majority of exit polls, released after the conclusion of the two-phase election on November 11, have forecast a comfortable to narrow victory for the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP and JD(U).
NDA Confident of Public Mandate
NDA leaders were quick to welcome the predictions, attributing the projected win to the dual influence of central and state leadership.
Union Minister Nityanand Rai affirmed the sentiment, telling ANI news agency that the people of Bihar had given their “seal of approval for the NDA government.” He confidently asserted that the alliance would likely secure even more seats than the exit polls suggested, crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s national appeal and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s “wave of good governance.”
The Exit Poll Numbers
The majority mark in the Bihar Assembly is 122 seats. Key predictions include:
- Axis My India: Predicted a tight contest, giving the NDA 121 to 141 seats, while projecting the Mahagathbandhan (MGB) to win 98 to 118 seats. Significantly, it showed RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav as the top choice for the Chief Minister’s position.
- People’s Pulse: Predicted a more comfortable win for the NDA with 133-159 seats versus the Mahagathbandhan’s 75-101 seats.
- Today’s Chanakya: Forecast a bumper victory for the NDA, projecting 148-172 seats, with the MGB winning 65-89 seats.
Tejashwi Dismisses Projections as ‘Propaganda’
The opposition Mahagathbandhan, spearheaded by RJD’s Chief Ministerial face Tejashwi Yadav, rejected the exit poll findings outright.
Addressing a press conference, Yadav argued that the projections were released prematurely—while voting was still underway—in an effort to create a “psychological impact” and pressure election officials.
Tejashwi Yadav: “The feedback that we have been getting is very positive. This is better than the 1995 elections’ feedback… Voters were still in the queue to vote till 6-7 pm and Exit Polls were declared anyway.”
Yadav pointed to the high overall voter turnout (66.91%, the highest since 1951, with women turnout especially high), claiming that the surge in voting was a decisive vote for “change” and against the incumbent government.
Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal advised caution, citing the past failure of exit polls in the Haryana Assembly elections, urging supporters to “wait for real results.” Congress MP Digvijaya Singh went further, alleging a “manipulated voter list” and EVMs if the NDA manages to cross the 140-seat mark.
All attention is now fixed on Friday, November 14, when the counting of votes will commence and the political fate of Bihar will finally be sealed.