"Much more splendid result than our expectations": UP Dy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya on Bihar poll projections

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India] November 14 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Friday said that the results of the Bihar elections are looking very positive for the NDA.
He called it "much better than expected" and said the opposition has no major issues to raise.
Speaking to ANI in Lucknow, Keshav Prasad Maurya said, "In Bihar, a trend in favor of NDA is currently visible, it is a much more splendid result than our expectations...we welcome this trend. The opposition has no issues to raise..."
As counting progresses for the Bihar Assembly elections, early leads indicate a strong and commanding lead for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), signalling what could be one of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's most decisive electoral victories.
The trends suggest that the renewed JD(U)-BJP partnership, backed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nationwide popularity, is steering the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) toward a sweeping mandate of over 243 seats assembly.
The Nitish Kumar-led NDA has secured a combined total of 188 seats, with BJP leading in 85, JDU in 75, LJP 22, HAM 4 and RLM 3 as per data from the EC at 11:45 am.
RJD leads in 36 seats, Congress leads in 6, CPI(ML) lead 7, while CPI-M and VIP lead in 1 seat each, taking the total to 51, as per data from the EC at 11:45 am. Additionally, the BSP leads in one seat, and the AIMIM in three seats.
For Nitish Kumar, who has governed the state for nearly two decades, this election has been widely viewed as a test of both political endurance and public trust. Once celebrated as "Sushashan Babu" for pulling Bihar out of the shadows of what was often termed the "jungle raj," the Chief Minister has in recent years confronted signs of voter weariness and questions over his shifting political alignments.
Despite this, the current trends reflect a noticeable shift on the ground, indicating that voters are reposing faith in his governance model once again. (ANI)