The BJP-JDU coalition is all set to retain power in Bihar. Chief minister Nitish Kumar, whose political future looked hazy to many till recently, has sprung a surprise with a giant victory.

The BJP was leading on 89 seats and had won 4, whereas JDU was ahead in 76 after winning 6, according to the Election Commission of India data at 4.30 pm on Friday. Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), part of the NDA coalition, was leading on 19 seats.

The main opposition, RJD, on the other hand, was leading only on 27 seats. The Congress was nearly wiped out, as it led only on 4 seats.

Prashant Kishore's new venture, Jan Suraaj Party, failed to make a beginning.

In the two-phase elections that witnessed the largest turnout of voters since 1952, women seemed to have been a decisive factor as the outgoing government wooed them with policy measures as well as cash doles. It was equally a vote for Nitish Kumar's leadership, despite his frail health. With the big gains for the BJP, the Bihar verdict will also be reckoned as another seal on prime minister Narendra Modi's popularity. In the process, voters have shown the door to Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav, who failed to craft a convincing counter-narrative.