Bihar BJP President Sanjay Saraogi on Saturday, 24 October expressed full confidence that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would sweep all eight seats in the biennial Bihar Legislative Council elections, with vote counting scheduled for 27 October in Patna. The polling across eight constituencies — split between graduates' and teachers' voter segments — was completed on Friday.

NDA's Confidence and Key Claims

Speaking to reporters, Saraogi said the alliance had already secured three seats, or four counting an Independent, and was hopeful of a clean sweep. 'We are fully confident that the NDA will win all eight seats. The NDA has already won three of these seats, or four if we include the Independent. We expect to perform very well, and it would not be surprising if we win all eight seats. These elections involve teacher and graduate voters, and we have sincerely worked to address their concerns,' Saraogi said.

Janata Dal (United) National Spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan echoed the sentiment, attributing the alliance's expected victory to the cumulative goodwill built by the Bihar government and senior NDA leaders. 'The NDA has performed exceptionally well, receiving strong support from voters across all constituencies. Voters have credited the NDA for the achievements of JD(U) national president and former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the past 20 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's immense popularity and the good work done by the state government under Samrat Choudhary's leadership in a short period have created a positive atmosphere. We are heading towards victory in all eight seats,' Ranjan said.

Voter Turnout Across Constituencies

The four graduates' constituencies recorded an aggregate voter turnout of 43.87%, while the four teachers' constituencies registered a significantly higher 74.55%. Among graduates' seats, Kosi logged the highest turnout at 52.51%, while Patna recorded the lowest at 36.19% — a notable result given the pre-poll controversy surrounding a dispute between Independent MLA Anant Singh and incumbent MLC Neeraj Kumar. Tirhut and Darbhanga posted turnouts of 42.15% and 42%, respectively.

Among teachers' constituencies, Saran led with an exceptionally high turnout of 87.16%, while Patna again registered the lowest at 56.89%. Darbhanga and Tirhut recorded 79% and 78.10%, respectively. Minor scuffles between supporters of rival candidates were reported at several polling locations, though no major incidents were confirmed.

Background and Political Context

Bihar Legislative Council elections involving teacher and graduate constituencies tend to attract engaged, issue-aware electorates — historically making them harder to predict than direct vote contests. This is the latest in a series of upper-house contests where the NDA has sought to consolidate its hold on Bihar's political landscape ahead of broader state-level cycles. The reference to Nitish Kumar's two-decade record and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's national popularity underscores the NDA's strategy of running on incumbency and leadership appeal rather than solely local issues.

Notably, the Patna graduates' constituency drew disproportionate attention owing to the Singh-Kumar dispute, yet recorded the lowest turnout among graduates' seats — suggesting that controversy did not necessarily translate into mobilisation on either side.

What Happens Next

All eyes now turn to 27 October, when vote counting will determine whether the NDA's confidence translates into an electoral clean sweep across all eight Bihar Legislative Council constituencies.