New Delhi, 12 Nov

The Axis My India Exit Poll on Wednesday predicted that the NDA would be ahead of the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, but the RJD would emerge as the single-largest party when results for the Assembly polls are announced on Friday.

Axis My India's projections come a day after all major exit polls predicted a return of the NDA government in Bihar with a big victory over the Mahagathbandhan.

All exit polls unanimously forecast a poor electoral debut for Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj.

Axis My India predicted the NDA to win between 121-141 seats, and the Mahagathbandhan 98-118 seats.

It gave 0-2 seats to the Jan Suraaj.

In its party-wise break-up, Axis My India predicted that the RJD would be the single-largest party getting between 67-76 seats, followed by the JD(U) at 56-62 seats, BJP 50-56 seats, Congress 17-21 seats, Vikassheel Insaan Party 3-5 seats, and Left parties 10-14 seats.

According to the exit poll, the NDA would get a vote share percentage of 43 per cent, the Mahagathbandhan 41 per cent, and the Jan Suraaj 4 per cent.

It also claimed that while 34 per cent of people want to see RJD's Tejashwi Yadav as the chief minister, 22 per cent want incumbent Nitish Kumar (JD-U) to remain at the helm.

The exit poll also gave a gender-wise breakdown of vote share. It is projected that while the NDA would get 41 per cent male and 45 per cent female votes, the Mahagathbandhan would get 42 per cent male and 40 per cent female votes.

The Bihar polls were conducted in two phases on 6 and 11 November, and the results will be announced on 14 November.

While the Matrize Exit Poll forecast the NDA likely getting between 147-167 seats, the Mahagathbandhan 70-90, and the Jan Suraaj between 0-2 seats, Dainik Bhaskar predicted 145-160 seats for the NDA and 73-91 for the Mahagathbandhan.

The People's Insight predicted 133-148 seats for the NDA, 87-102 for the Mahagathbandhan and 0-2 for Jan Suraaj.

The People's Pulse gave 133-159 seats to the NDA, 75-101 to the Mahagathbandhan, and 0-5 to Prashant Kishore's party.

The JVC forecast 135-150 seats for the NDA and 88-103 for the Mahagathbandhan. The Polstrat predicted 133-148 seats for the NDA and 87-102 for the Mahagathbandhan.

While the Chanakya Strategies gave the NDA 130-138 seats, 100-108 to the Mahagathbandhan, and zero to Jan Suraaj, pollster P-Marq predicted the NDA to win 142-162 seats, the Mahagathbandhan 80-98 and Jan Suraaj 1-4.

The majority mark in the 243-member Assembly is 122.

Exit poll projections are made by election survey agencies based on interviews of voters as they come out after casting their votes. These may vary widely from the actual results.

While the NDA, comprising the BJP, JD(U) and LJP (Ram Vilas) as the major alliance partners, is looking to return to power in Bihar, the opposition INDIA bloc, which has the RJD, the Congress and the Left parties as the main constituents, is looking to form the government with RJD's Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial face.

Bihar on Tuesday recorded its highest-ever voter turnout of 67.14 per cent, provisionally, at the close of polling in the second and final phase of the high-stakes elections, seen as a veritable referendum on the state’s longest-serving chief minister Nitish Kumar.