Overview
- Election Commission trends showed the NDA opening an early lead, reported at one point as 111 seats to 33 for the INDIA bloc.
- Later updates cited the NDA ahead in about 197 seats, with the BJP leading roughly 90 and JD(U) about 79 as counting progressed.
- Large 'tiger abhi zinda hai' posters featuring Nitish Kumar appeared outside his residence and across Patna, drawing JD(U) workers and media attention.
- JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar credited welfare schemes for the trends and asserted Nitish Kumar would remain chief minister as long as he wished.
- BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal downplayed the poster push, saying Nitish’s stature is bigger than a tiger, as vote counting continued.