As the Bihar Assembly Elections have culminated with the third phase of voting on November 7, the poll of exit polls have projected a very tight contest between the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan. However, what they all have in common is that the Mahagathbandhan seems to be in a better position as per the projections, before counting day on November 10.

The Republic-Jan ki Baat exit poll has projected the Mahagathbandhan to win 118-183 seats as against the NDA which is projected to win 91-117 seats. The LJP which broke away from NDA for this election has been predicted to win merely 5-8 seats, while others are projected to win 3-6 seats.

Republic-Jan ki Baat survey

Battle of coalitions:

• NDA: 91-117 seats 
• MGB: 118-138 seats
• LJP: 5-8 seats
• Others: 3-6 seats

In its party-wise projections, the Republic-Jan ki Baat exit poll has projected the BJP to win anywhere between 60-75 seats and the Nitish Kumar-led JDU, 31-42. Congress, on the other hand, has been projected to win 24-30 seats while the RJD is primed to emerge as the single largest party with 79-91 seats, as per the Jan ki Baat poll of nearly 50,000 respondents.

Party-wise seat projections:

Mahagathbandhan:

• RJD: 79-91 seats
• Congress: 24-30 seats
• Left: 15-17 seats [CPI(ML)- 12-14 seats, CPI(M)- 2 seats, CPI- 1 seat]

NDA:

• BJP: 60-75 seats
• JDU: 31-42 seats
• VIP: 0
• HAM: 0

Remaining parties:

• LJP: 5-8 seats
• AIMIM: 1 seat
• Others: 3-6 seats

READ | Bihar Exit Poll: Mahagathbandhan Projected To Form Next Govt; RJD Single Largest Party

C-Voter exit poll

The Times Now C-Voter survey has projected a hung assembly. It shows Mahagathbandhan's projection at 120 seats while the NDA is projected to win 116. None of the alliances seemed to be hitting the halfway mark or the magic number of 122 seats to form the government, however. 

• NDA: 116
• MGB: 120
• LJP: 1
• Others: 6

Axis

India Today-Axis My India exit poll gives a clear majority to Mahagathbandhan, projecting them at 139-161 seats, while NDA is trailing at 69-91 seats and the LJP is projected to win 3-5 seats. 

• NDA: 69-91 seats
• MGB: 139-161 seats
• LJP: 3-5 seats
• Others: 3-5

TV9 Bharatvarsh 

The exit poll of TV9 Bharatvarsh also hints towards a hung assembly. While the projection is for NDA to win 115 seats, Mahagathbandhan's is 120, whereas LJP and others are projected to win 4 seats each.

• NDA: 115 seats
• MGB: 120 seats
• LJP: 4 seats
• Others: 4 seats

READ | 55.22% Voter Turnout In Bihar Polls Phase-3, Figure May Go Up As Voting Winds Up: EC

The Bihar assembly elections and reigning issues

Stressing on the issue of unemployment, Mahagathbandhan's CM-face Tejashwi Yadav has promised 10 lakh jobs if elected to power. In response to Mahagathbandhan's promise, the NDA has stated it will create 19 lakh jobs if given another term. Also, the labour workforce's migration during the COVID-19 lockdown also led to increased expectations from the state government to create employment for those returning to the state. Meanwhile, the NDA has promised free COVID-19 vaccine for all the citizens in the state to tackle the pandemic menace.

The first phase of voting for the 243-strong assembly took place on October 28, the second phase on November 3 and the third phase concluded on Saturday. With the fate of 1024 candidates sealed, it becomes pertinent to see if the election results favour the NDA with Nitish Kumar retaining the throne, or the state will see a new CM, namely Tejashwi Yadav. November 10 holds the answers. 

READ | BJP Unwavering Despite Exit Polls Predicting Defeat In Bihar, Firm On NDA Forming Govt

READ | Bihar Exit Poll Projects RJD To Win 5 Of 10 Key Seats; Ex-CM Manjhi, Luv Sinha Could Lose