Bihar CM Nitish Kumar Drops By Temple, Gurdwara, Dargah As Exit Polls Predict NDA's Victory

Patna: With exit polls for the Bihar Assembly elections 2025 predicting a bigger victory margin for the NDA, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been engaged in various religious activities since Wednesday morning. His first stop was the Mahavir Temple, followed by the Patna Gurdwara Sahib, where he offered a chadar, and the dargah of Hazrat Syed Shah Ghulam Safdar beside the Patna High Court.

Although he refrained from interacting with the media during the temple visits, the joy on his face suggests his confidence in winning the election. Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Rural Works Minister Ashok Choudhary accompanied him.

Kumar also met senior party leaders on Tuesday to gather feedback. He visited the JDU office, inspecting the war room and discussing with RJD president Umesh Kushwaha and senior party minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary. He has continuously been gathering feedback since the first phase and is reportedly encouraged by the trends in the two phases.

Nitish Kumar at the Mahavir Mandir. (ETV Bharat)

Most of the exit polls predicted a bumper victory for the BJP-led NDA and a setback for the RJD and Congress-led Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) in the high-stakes electoral battle. A series of pollsters sharing their projections for the high-octane contest in Bihar forecast a comfortable victory for and saw it crossing the halfway mark of 122 seats easily, while the Mahagathbandhan seemed to be struggling to go beyond the 100 mark.

The exit polls also predict a shocker for Prashant Kishor-led Jan Suraaj, the latest entrant, which fashioned itself as the 'third alternative' in the state. A total of seven polling agencies see the BJP-led NDA storming to power again with a clear majority, with three keeping its upper margin above the 160-mark.

Kumar at the dargah of Hazrat Syed Shah Ghulam Safdar beside the Patna High Court. (ETV Bharat)

For the Mahagathbandhan, most foresee it getting limited to double-digits, while some see its higher margin around 100 seats. Other parties, including Owaisi-led AIMIM, Jan Suraaj and independents, are unlikely to have any impact as they remain relegated to the margins and together could gather 2-8 seats in the 243-member Assembly, the exit polls said.

However, the Mahagathbandhan has dismissed the exit polls. Tejashwi Yadav, its CM face, called them misleading, saying that the media reports only what the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) decides and what Amit Shah writes. "Compared to the 2020 elections, 72 lakh more people have voted this time for a change in the government," he added.

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