The Election Commission of India (ECI) is all set to count votes in 243 assembly constituencies in Bihar on Friday (November 14, 2025), starting with postal voting at 8:00 AM, with Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) counting beginning at 8:30 AM. State since 1951.
“A total of 4,372 counting tables have been set up with one Counting Officer, one Counting Assistant and one Micro-Observer at each table. More than 18,000 candidate-appointed counting agents will also supervise the counting process,” the ECI said in a statement on Thursday (November 13, 2025). The enumeration will be conducted by 243 Returning Officers (ROs) in the presence of 243 enumerators and also the candidates or their representatives.
The results will be compiled and made available district-wide and district-wise by respective ROs on the official ECI results portal: https://results.eci.gov.in. The Commission has advised the public to refer only to this portal for accurate and verified updates and not rely on any hearsay or unofficial sources.
No cabbage
According to the ECI, this is the first time in recent history that no irregularities or malpractices were found in any polling station after inspection and no re-voting was recommended.
However, in Rohtas, a number of candidates shouted slogans against the district administration, complaining about the alleged unauthorized entry of a vehicle (UP65DT8471) and the alleged removal of CCTV cameras in the fixed EVM room at the Bazar Samiti campus in Sasaram.
The Patna Cyber Police Station also lodged an FIR against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Legislative Council member Sunil Singh in an inflammatory speech in which he attacked the ECI and threatened mass protests like those seen in Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka recently if election officials “violently defeat” the people’s mandate.
Threats of mass protest
“In the 2020 Assembly elections, several of our candidates in Hilse, Bhorey, Parihar and 10 other Assembly constituencies were violently defeated. Two days ago, when voting was going on in thousands of booths, the exit poll came to pressurize the voters by saying that the NDA is getting majority, so the votes of poor people who don’t matter. na, then we are vigilant and the people of Bihar are also on standby,” Mr. Singh told reporters in Patna.
“The people of Bihar are now ready. With folded hands, we have urged all officers involved in the enumeration not to go against the mandate and defeat the winning candidates. If that happens, either our candidates will come outside the enumeration center or the enumeration officers. What we have witnessed in Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka would be a similar scenario to be seen on the roads in Bihar,” he warned.
Attacking the ECI, Mr. Singh alleged that if the Supreme Court had not intervened in time in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the poll body would have revived dead people and vice versa.
The complaint against him was filed under Sections 174, 352 and 353 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act and Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act and the IT Act.
Poster battle
The party offices of both the ruling and opposition alliances were buzzing on the eve of counting of votes and there was a celebratory mood in the ruling camp after nine by-elections predicted a decisive majority for the NDA. As the rival chief ministerial candidates — incumbent Nitish Kumar and challenger Tejashwi Yadav — held closed-door meetings with leaders and allies, their partisans engaged in a poster battle.
Janata Dal (United) leader Ranjit Singh put up a poster outside the JD(U) office with the Chief Minister’s photo saying: Tiger Abhi Zinda Hai (Tiger is still alive). In response, Samajwadi Party leader Dharmveer Yadav pasted a poster outside the RJD office with the message Alvid Chacha (Goodbye Uncle) showing a picture of Mr Kumar dreaming of the throne.
An RJD supporter in Vaishali district, Kedar Prasad Yadav, performs a 24-hour Yagaya and prays for Mr. Yadav’s victory.
The day’s countdown may have even higher stakes for party founder Jan Suraaj, a former political strategist, Prashant Kishor, as he continued to insist that he would quit politics if Mr Kumar’s JD(U) won more than 25 seats.
Published – 13 Nov 2025 20:57 IST
