New Delhi, Nov 14 (IANS) Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) is heading towards a massive victory in the Bihar Assembly polls, with the party leading in 21 out of the 29 seats it contested, according to the latest trends on the Election Commission’s website.

Notably, Chirag Paswan’s party had secured a massive 100 per cent strike in last year’s Lok Sabha elections in which it bagged all six seats it contested.

It is worth noting here that Chirag Paswan, during the Bihar Assembly elections in 2020, had contested alone after disagreements over the seat-sharing.

Although it bagged only a single seat out of 137 that it contested, it succeeded in cutting down Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) vote bank, dragging it from 71 seats in 2015 to just 43.

His party is leading in Rajaoli, Bodh Gaya, Gobindpur, Sherghati, Obra, Dehri, Nathnagar, Parbatta and a few others.

Similarly, according to the ECI’s early trends, the BJP is emerging as the largest party in the Bihar Assembly elections, currently leading in 87 out of the 243 seats, followed by JD(U)’s 76 seats.

The NDA is currently leading in 189 seats, with the Mahagathbandhan following at 50.

The counting process for all 243 Assembly seats commenced at 8 a.m., beginning with the scrutiny of postal ballots. This was followed by the counting of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) votes from 8.30 a.m., taking place under extensive multi-tier security arrangements across the state.

The counting operations are being overseen by 243 Returning Officers and an equal number of Counting Observers appointed by the Election Commission.

Over 18,000 counting agents representing various candidates are present at the centres to monitor the process closely.

Entry into counting centres has been strictly restricted to individuals with valid passes, and the use of mobile phones inside counting halls has been completely prohibited.

In the outgoing Assembly, the NDA holds 131 seats, comprising BJP’s 80, JD(U)’s 45, four of HAM(S) and two Independents. The Opposition bloc has 111 seats, with the RJD holding 77, Congress 19, CPI(ML) 11, CPI(M) two and CPI two.

–IANS

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