- Winning Bihar, the 3rd most populous state, with nearly 130 million inhabitants, is crucial.
- Modi’s coalition is well ahead of the 122-seat majority in Bihar.
- The result would be a boost for Modi after the national election setback in 2024.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling coalition is poised to comfortably retain power in the poor and populous state of Bihar, a vote tally showed Friday, giving it a boost after a disappointing national vote last year.
Winning Bihar is crucial because it is India’s third most populous state with nearly 130 million people and sends the fifth highest number of lawmakers to Parliament. Control of the eastern state strengthens any party’s power in the Hindi heartland and often helps shape national political narratives.
Modi’s National Democratic Alliance coalition could easily cross the 122-seat majority mark, with Election Commission of India data showing it leading by more than 170 seats. TV channel NDTV said it was leading with 191 seats, a potential gain of 69 seats compared to the last election.
“Bihar’s mandate is clear!” Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party said on
The Bihar result would mark a sharp turnaround for Modi, who lost his parliamentary majority in last year’s national elections and has had to rely on his allies to stay in power. Since then, his party has gradually regained ground, winning several key state-level elections.
Political analysts said a key factor in the Bihar elections was Modi’s transfer in September of ₹75 billion ($853 million) to millions of women in the state as part of an employment program.
Across India, women voters have turned out in greater numbers over the past decade and political parties have competed to attract them. Previously, men far outnumbered women at Indian polling stations.
Political analyst Amitabh Tiwari, who toured Bihar during the elections – which were held in two phases on November 6 and 11 – said it is “only women” who are expected to give Modi a better result than the one he got last time.
According to a survey conducted this week by Tiwari’s VoteVibe agency, Modi’s alliance won 48.5 percent of the women’s vote, more than 10 percentage points more than the main opposition bloc.
States like Assam, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu are set to go to polls next year. Among these states, the BJP is in power only in Assam.
