Bihar Election Results Live Updates: Chirag Paswan meets Nitish Kumar, Congress convenes to review loss

Union minister Chirag Paswan on Saturday said representatives of his party LJP (Ram Vilas) met Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to congratulate him for the resounding victory of the ruling NDA and discussed the formation of the next government in the state.

He also slammed the opposition RJD and the Congress for "creating a false narrative" that there were differences between his party and Kumar's JD(U). "Representatives of LJP(RV) met Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and discussed government formation in the state," Paswan told reporters.

Speaking on the NDA's seat-sharing arrangement before the polls, he said, "I am grateful to the central leadership of the alliance. The NDA placed trust in our party, which had no MLA in the Bihar assembly." The LJP(RV) had contested 28 assembly seats in the state and won 19.

(PTI inputs)

A day after failing to win a single seat, Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj voiced dissatisfaction over its performance, stating that the NDA’s women-centric cash transfer schemes significantly influenced the outcome. The party struggled to convert its high-energy campaign and focus on unemployment, migration and industrial gaps into votes.

Jan Suraaj Party’s national president Uday Singh was quoted as saying by ANI, “We are disappointed with the outcome of the assembly polls but not upset. Though we have not won even a single seat, we will keep opposing the ruling NDA." He said the party could not succeed in convincing Muslim voters in Bihar.

Senior leaders of the Congress party, including leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, arrived at the residence of Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday morning, a day after the party suffered a massive blow in the Bihar Assembly polls.

The Congress on Friday won only six of the 61 seats it contested in the Bihar Assembly elections.

A delegation of Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) or LJP(RV) met chief minister Nitish Kumar, a day after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) registered a historic win in the Bihar Assembly polls.

"I met the CM, congratulated him and extended him best wishes. NDA registered a historic victory under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. So, a delegation of LJP(RV) met him and congratulated him. I am delighted that the CM appreciated the role of every alliance partner in the NDA. He supported the LJP(RV) candidate when he went to vote. In Alauli, where I vote, I supported JD(U) candidate. This shows that those were misleading regarding JD(U) and LJP(RV) were just setting false narrative," he said.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) – despite facing a big setback in the Bihar Assembly polls – received the maximum vote share, surpassing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which emerged as the single-largest party after Friday’s counting.

Election Commission figures show that Tejashwi Yadav’s party captured a 23 per cent vote share, outperforming the BJP by 2.92 percentage points and Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) by 3.75 points. Read more

In its first electoral test, the Prashant Kishor-led Jan Suraaj Party failed to make any mark, securing zero seats in the 2025 Bihar polls despite widespread presence across 243 constituencies. Kishor, who had considered contesting from Raghopur or Kargahar, ultimately refrained from standing.

Prashant Kishor officially launched the Jan Suraaj Party in Patna on October 2, 2024, stating that the party had been active since 2022.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday congratulated Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar on securing a decisive victory in the Bihar Assembly elections, while also commending RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav for what he described as a "tireless and spirited campaign."

In a message posted on X, the chief minister said he "warmly congratulated veteran leader Thiru. Nitish Kumar" and wished him well in meeting the aspirations of the people of Bihar. He also appreciated "young leader Thiru. Tejashwi Yadav" for his energetic outreach during the election campaign, adding that both leaders played significant roles in shaping the political contest in the state.

Reflecting on the broader implications of the electoral verdict, Stalin said election outcomes were shaped by multiple factors such as welfare delivery, social and ideological coalitions, clear political messaging and meticulous management "until the last vote is polled." He noted that the leaders of the INDIA bloc were "seasoned politicians" who were fully capable of interpreting the message delivered by the electorate and recalibrating strategies to confront emerging political challenges.

The NDA’s electoral “tsunami” swept aside the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, with the BJP becoming the single-largest party at 89 seats and the JD(U) close behind with 85. Other ruling alliance partners also posted strong strike rates. In contrast, the RJD–Congress bloc faced major setbacks, while Jan Suraaj -- despite Prashant Kishor’s high-voltage campaign -- failed to win even a single seat.

In the 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly elections, the people of the state have given us a strong mandate, expressing their immense faith in our government. I bow to all the respected voters of Bihar and offer my heartfelt gratitude and thanks.

I also bow to our esteemed Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi ji, and sincerely thank him for the support he has extended.

The NDA alliance displayed complete unity throughout this election and secured an overwhelming majority. I extend my thanks and gratitude to all NDA partners - Shri Chirag Paswan ji, Shri Jitan Ram Manjhi ji, and Shri Upendra Kushwaha ji - for this decisive victory.

With the support of everyone, Bihar will continue to progress and will soon be counted among the most developed states in the country. - Nitish Kumar on X

Bihar CM name announcement live updates: Women in Nitish Kumar's village Kalyan Bigha celebrate as NDA's thumping win

Nitish Kumar's political career spans more than four decades, beginning with his involvement in the JP movement of the mid-1970s. Over the years, he emerged as a key voice for backward caste politics and secular governance. Inspired by leaders such as Ram Manohar Lohia, Satyendra Narain Sinha, Karpuri Thakur, and VP Singh, he built a reputation for strategic clarity and political flexibility. His ability to combine development-focused governance with social inclusivity has helped him retain support across varied communities, including Muslims.

The 2025 elections also highlight the evolution of Bihar's electoral process. Once marred by large-scale violence and frequent repolls, this year's voting was peaceful, with zero repolls and no major incidents reported-a historic milestone for the state's democratic progress.

Vinod Tawde, BJP's election in-charge, says that when the time is right, people will know about who will be the Chief Minister of Bihar

Amid the buzz around CM name, the JDU has deleted a post that mentioned Nitish Kumar as CM for the top job. In the post written in Hindi, the JDU had said that Nitish Kumar was and will always remain Bihar's CM. Now, the party's official account has deleted the post.

"Based on the feedback we have been receiving, the results are very disappointing. Bihar leaders should sit down and seriously consider this issue," said RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui. Meanwhile, the ruling NDA has surged past the 200-seat mark, while Tejashwi Yadav's RJD-led Mahagathbandhan is ahead in only 36 constituencies.

Nitish Kumar, frequently criticised by the opposition as a "serial turncoat," has nevertheless sustained his political foothold by prioritising tangible development. His government's efforts in strengthening rural infrastructure, providing direct financial assistance, and implementing inclusive welfare policies have helped build broad public trust, reinforcing his image as a leader who focuses on results over rhetoric.

For Nitish Kumar, who has led Bihar for nearly two decades, this election was seen as a crucial test of his political stamina and public credibility. Once hailed as "Sushashan Babu" for steering the state away from the era of "jungle raj," the Chief Minister had been grappling with voter fatigue and criticism over his frequent alliance shifts. Yet, early results indicate that voters are once again placing their trust in his model of governance.

The Congress, which has historically struggled in Bihar, has performed poorly once again in the state that voted in two phases on November 6 and 11. Responding to the early trends, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, "It's a question of leading at the moment. They are leading by a rather large margin. But let's wait for the Election Commission to discuss and disclose the results." Tharoor added that the Congress must examine the reasons behind its performance, while also noting that the RJD, as the senior partner in the alliance, should assess its own results. "I am sure the party has a responsibility to study in detail the causes. But remember, we were not the senior partner in the alliance, and the RJD also has to look carefully at its own performance. On a matter like this, it's very important that we look at the totality of our performance," he said.

The Bihar election results have delivered not only a severe setback to the Congress but also a personal blow to Rahul Gandhi, who had campaigned extensively across the state earlier this year, alleging that the BJP was "stealing votes." In August, Gandhi launched the Voter Adhikar Yatra, encouraged by the success of his previous yatras, which the party believed had helped consolidate voter support in recent elections. The yatra began in Sasaram and concluded in Patna, passing through 25 districts and 110 assembly constituencies while covering nearly 1,300 km. However, none of the constituencies along this route appear to be leaning toward the Congress. As per current trends, the party is leading in only four of the 61 seats it contested-Valmiki Nagar, Kishanganj, Manihari, and Begusarai.

The Election Commission of India has described the Bihar polls as a 'model election'. With counting underway, all eyes are now on who will ultimately take charge as the next Chief Minister of Bihar.

Tejashwi Yadav is trailing in his home constituency of Raghopur. His elder brother, Tej Pratap Yadav-now contesting under his new JJD after being expelled from the RJD-is trailing significantly in Mahua. Both seats fall within Vaishali district.

The RJD-led alliance is falling short of expectations, with the Congress unable to deliver the strike rate needed to bolster Tejashwi Yadav's bid for chief ministership.

Initial figures indicate that the Nitish-led NDA has comfortably crossed the majority threshold and is on track to secure more than 200 of the 243 seats.

Initial figures indicate that the Nitish-led NDA has comfortably crossed the majority threshold and is on track to secure more than 200 of the 243 seats.

Nitish Kumar, the longest-serving Chief Minister of Bihar, appears set to return to the top post once again based on early trends.

As counting progresses in the Bihar assembly elections, the ruling NDA has established a strong early lead, pushing the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan into a difficult position.