&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Will Nitish Kumar become Bihar's CM again? Here's what pre-poll survey predicts about state's future")
The Election Commission has announced the dates for Bihar Elections 2025. Unlike other states where the focus during Assembly elections is on who will become the next Chief Minister, in Bihar, people are more concerned about whether Nitish Kumar will be the CM again. As the countdown begins, pollsters are busy analysing the mood of the voters on ground. IANS-Matrize News Communications came up with the first opinion polls of the election season in the state.
What IANS-Matrize Opinion poll predict?
The IANS-Matrize News Communications poll, titled “Opinion Poll Report @ Bihar”, explored voter opinions on MLA performance, development schemes, and leadership choices, reflecting the evolving political mood in the state.
- The poll projected the NDA to win with a 49 per cent vote share and 150-160 seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly.
- In the poll, 57 per cent of respondents said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity will play a major role in influencing the polls. Another 8 per cent felt it would have a moderate impact.
- According to the poll, BJP is top preferred party with 35 per cent of respondents rating it as the best party for good governance. JD(U) follows at 18 per cent , RJD at 13 per cent , Jan Suraaj at 8 per cent , Congress at 2 per cent, and others share the remaining percentage.
- According to the poll, Nitish Kumar (JD-U) remains the top choice for CM, backed by 42 per cent of voters. Tejashwi Yadav (RJD) stands at 15 per cent. An impressive 9 per cent preference was recorded for Prashant Kishor of Jan Suraaj Party. Chirag Paswan (LJP-Ram Vilas) was the choice for 8 per cent. Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary (BJP) was popular choice only among 3 per cent and Giriraj Singh (BJP) and Upendra Kushwaha (JD-U) also recieved 1 per cent vote each. While 17 per cent of voters remained undecided, and 4 per cent supported other names.
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
National Handloom Day 2026: From Alia Bhatt to Samantha Ruth Prabhu; Actresses who celebrated India's textile heritage as brides
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Unitree Robotics targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO backed by DeepSeek and Tencent
)
India names 27 sites in Arunachal Pradesh
)
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata OTT: When will Kangana Ranaut's film stream online?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How many soldiers operate one S-400 battery?
)
Shakib Al Hasan ready to return to Bangladesh—under one condition
)
‘Fake news’: MEA rejects report claiming India sought defence pact with Israel after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey deal
)
Rockstar to unveil GTA 6 extended look ahead of November launch
)
Russia forms Ukrainian Volunteer Spetsnaz Brigade to fight Ukraine
)
Drug-resistant fungus that hides in hair and enters bloodstream reported in 23 US states
)
Technology transfer deal boosts India's defence manufacturing ambitions
)
Border row erupts in Europe after Ceuta crossings, Spain imposes border controls on Italy
)
Morale plummets on USS Abraham Lincoln: Are US sailors reaching a breaking point? | GRAVITAS
)
'Security can't be bought with Pakistan, Turkey deal': Iran tells Saudi Arabia
)
Baba Vanga's 2026 prophecy: 2 predictions 'already came true', 3 terrifying ones remain. Details inside
)
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella vows to ‘defeat narco-terrorists’, signals hardline shift
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (August 7, 2026): Operation Safed Sagar, Vadhandhi, Main Vaapis Aaunga- 6 movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth scripts history as Indian Air Force gets its first woman ‘Top Gun’ pilot
)
RSS says Gen Z protests reflect genuine distress
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
IAF officer held for sharing sensitive information in 'honey trap' case, booked under Official Secrets Act
)
Stray Kids under scrutiny? Fans react to Grammy submission silence after BTS boycott
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI doesn't need external fuel tanks to fly vast distances
)
Jugal Hansraj reunites with Shekhar Kapur after 40 years for Masoom: The Next Generation
)
New speed limits, automatic challans: Big traffic change coming to Delhi-Meerut Expressway. All you need to know
)
India officially names 27 places in Arunachal to counter China's renaming claims
)
Trump calls White House ballroom ruling a 'national disgrace' as court says Congress approval needed
)
US sanctions Iran’s crypto network after Strait of Hormuz attacks, offers $15m bounty for intel on IRGC finance
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI is one of the heaviest fighters ever built
)
Uttarakhand young innovator builds India's own flying vehicle, conducts first test flight: WATCH
)
Chilling video shows students take cover as teen opens fire at Thai school
)
Reese Witherspoon's father hospitalised after poolside incident in Nashville: Report
Vote share projected by the IANS-Matrize Opinion poll
- BJP- 21 per cent
- RJD 21 per cent
- Congress 8 per cent
- JD(U) 18 per cent
- LJP (Chirag Paswan) 6 per cent
- Jan Suraj 7 per cent
- Others (BSP, JMM, Independents, etc.) 7 per cent
Bihar Elections on Nov 6 and Nov 11
Bihar will vote in two phases - on November 6 and November 11, the Election Commission of India announced on Oct 6. The election results will be announced on November 14. In 2020 state polls, the BJP-JDU alliance defeated the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan with a narrow margin. The BJP-JDU alliance won 125 seats (BJP 74, JDU 42, others 9), while the RJD won 75, Congress 19, and others 16. Although JDU was the junior partner in the alliance with fewer seats in its kitty, Nitish Kumar ended up being the Chief Minister of the state, for the seventh time. However, midway through his term, he did what people expected the most from him! He shifted his allegiance and joined the Mahagathbandhan in 2022, taking oath as CM for the eighth term. This time, Kumar became instrumental in forming yet another anti-BJP grouping - the INDIA alliance, only to exit it in 2024. He patched up with the BJP and became the CM again and took oath for the ninth time.
Ahead of the Bihar Elections 2025, Nitish Kumar has vowed not to shift sides "ever again." The BJP is yet again rowing its boat with Nitish as its oarsman. The Mahagathbandhan is hesitant to project RJD's Tejashwi Yadav as its CM face, despite his commendable performance in the 2020 state elections. This time, the elder Lalu Yadav scion, Tej Pratap Yadav, is not with RJD anymore and has formed his own Janshakti Janta Dal. In the fray is also Prashant Kishore's Jan Suraaj - Delhi media's current favourite and man credited for the victory of many politicians in the country, from PM Modi to Mamata Banerjee. In NDA, there's Modi's ‘Hanuman’ - Union Chirag Paswan - His Lok Janshakti Party has not shied away from expressing its desire for the top post in the state. Apart from regional players like Mukesh Sahni’s VIP party, Paswan's uncle Pashupati Paras, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), and Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustan Awami Morcha, there's Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM - whose party won a whopping five seats in the Seemanchal region last elections.
