The JD(U)-BJP alliance today was surging ahead towards a substantive win to retain power in the Assembly elections in Bihar by leading in 200 of the 243 seats for which trends were available.

The RJD-LJP alliance was far behind as it led in 40 of the total 243 seats.

Former chief minister Rabri Devi of RJD was trailing by 400 votes after the first round of counting at Sonepur, where the BJP candidate Vijay Kumar Singh was leading.

The Congress was leading in five constituencies.

Others were ahead in nine.

In the last Assembly elections in 2005, the JD(U)-BJP alliance secured 143 seats, with JD(U) 88 and BJP 55. RJD and LJP together had 64 seats in the outgoing House. Congress had nine.

BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said in New Delhi that the trends indicated that the people's mandate was for development, maintenance of law and order and good governance.

"There is a new hope for Bihar. It reaffirms many political myths will go underground. The biggest myth is a Congress resurgence. Congress is no longer relevant in any part of the country," he told reporters.

Among JD(U) ministers leading were Vijendra Yadav (Supaul), Narendra Narain Yadav JD(U) (Alamgarh), Ram Parvesh Rai (Barauli) and Hari Prasad Shah (Laukaha).

BJP ministers leading were Ashwini Choubey (Bhagalpur), Nand Kishore Yadav (Patna Saheb) and Renu Devi (Bettiah).

State Congress president Choudhury Mehboob Ali Kaiser was trailing behind the JD(U) candidate at Simri-Bakhtiarpur.

State RJD president Abdul Bari Siddique was trailing behind his nearest JD(U) rival at Alinagar.

The Congress is the only party which fielded candidates in all 243 constituencies followed by the BSP which contested 239 seats. The JD(U) contested 141 seats and its ally BJP 102.

RJD contested 168 seats and ally LJP in 75.