Bihar election 2025 results: Prashant Kishor, poll strategist who made fortunes for many parties, draws blank in own state

Bihar’s high-stakes 2025 Assembly election delivered an emphatic early verdict as counting began on 14 November. Held in two phases on November 6 and 11, the polls recorded a combined voter turnout of 66.91 per cent, the highest since 1951. Women voters outpaced men with an impressive 71.6 per cent participation. By 1:30 pm, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had surged ahead in over 202 of the 243 seats, comfortably crossing the majority mark of 122. Meanwhile, Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), debuting with considerable fanfare, appeared to be struggling from the outset.

Under the NDA’s seat-sharing pact, the JD(U) and BJP contested 101 seats each, while the LJP (Ram Vilas) fielded candidates in 29 constituencies and smaller allies in six seats. The opposition Mahagathbandhan, led by the RJD and Congress, found itself unable to keep pace as trends steadily widened the gap.

Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj collapses on debut

A major talking point of this election was the debut of Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party (JSP). Kishor, known for engineering landmark victories for political heavyweights across India, had boldly claimed that his party would either soar or fall flat. During the campaign, kishore asserted that his party would either be ‘arsh par’ (at the summit) or 'farsh par' (on the floor), insisting there would be ‘no middle ground.’ Counting trends now point firmly to the latter.

Despite contesting almost the entire Assembly map and briefly opening leads in four seats during the first hour of counting, Jan Suraaj soon saw those advantages disappear. In several constituencies, the party’s candidates polled fewer votes than NOTA, signalling a minimal on-ground impact, a sharp contrast to the initial attention drawn by its extensive grassroots outreach.

State president Manoj Bharti acknowledged the setback, saying the party had been unable to communicate its vision effectively. The early leads in a handful of seats quickly evaporated, validating exit poll predictions that had awarded the JSP no seats.

RJD stumbles, Nitish–BJP alliance poised for record win

Within the NDA, the BJP and JD(U) registered strong individual performances, leading in over 91 and 79 seats respectively. The LJP (RV) also exceeded expectations, ahead in more than 22 of the 29 seats it contested. The RJD, contesting 143 seats, appeared headed for what could be its worst electoral performance, with leads restricted to just 27 constituencies. Congress and Left partners made little dent in the NDA’s sweep.

As trends stabilised, it became evident that Nitish Kumar’s alliance was on track to return to power with one of its strongest mandates yet, while Prashant Kishor’s much-watched political experiment in his home state ended on a starkly disappointing note.