Patna: The counting of votes for 243 assembly constituencies in Bihar is under way. The closely fought elections saw incumbent Nitish Kumar, who is heading the JD(U)-BJP combine, take on the Tejashwi Yadav-led Mahagathbandhan comprising RJD, Congress and Left Parties.
The election took place amid a bitter campaign that saw the Chief Minister battling anti-incumbency, a rebellion by Lok Janshakti Party’s Chirag Paswan against his leadership – seen by many as being backed by the BJP – and Prime Minister Narendra Modi replacing Kumar as the de facto face of the NDA in the State.
Counting started this morning amid tight security and sources said Section 144 has been imposed around counting centres.
In the first phase of the election on 28 October, 71 seats spread across 16 districts went to polls, while in the second phase, voters in 94 seats of 17 districts exercised their franchise on 3 November, and in the third phase, 78 seats spread in 15 districts went to polls on 7 November.