26 minutes agoShareSaveGeeta Pandey & Abhishek DeyBBC News, DelhiShareSaveGetty ImagesNarendra Modi's party has never managed to form a government on its own in Bihar state Supporters of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are celebrating as Election Commission (EC) trends show the party-led alliance headed for a sweep in the eastern state of Bihar.Vote counting began at 08:00 local time [02:30 GMT]. No results have been declared yet but the alliance is leading in nearly 200 of the 243 seats.Polls were held on 6 and 11 November and the state registered a record turnout of 66.91% – the highest since Bihar's first elections in 1951. The election was held after a controversial revision of electoral rolls that the opposition alleged would exclude genuine voters and give Modi's party an edge – a charge both the BJP and EC denied.Several exit polls had predicted a victory for the BJP's alliance, which includes Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) as the prominent partner. The two parties currently rule the state together, with JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar as the outgoing chief minister. Their main rival is a coalition of India's main opposition Congress party, the regional Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and several smaller parties.At 14:30, after several hours of counting, the Election Commission tally showed the BJP-JD(U) alliance – together with a few smaller partners – inching towards 200 seats. The RJD-Congress alliance are leading in less than 40 seats.As counting progresses, results can change in some seats, but it's highly unlikely that the RJD-Congress alliance can claw its way back into the reckoning.The polls have also witnessed the entry of a new political party led by Prashant Kishor, a former political consultant who has in the past worked with both the BJP and the Congress. His Jan Suraaj party is not leading in any seats.The Bihar polls serve as a precursor to several other key state state elections next year in West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, where the BJP is not in power and has struggled to make inroads. Bihar, with more than 74 million voters, is India's poorest state, with millions migrating to other parts of India for jobs. It is also among the few states in India where Modi's party has not managed to form a government yet on its own. Getty ImagesThe elections witnessed a record voter turnoutOne of the main reasons for the BJP-JD(U) sweep is being linked to the large female voter turnout.Nearly half of the state's voters are women and Bihar – which has seen a steady increase in their numbers over the years – recorded its highest female voter turnout in history at 71.6% this year.Both alliances had offered financial assistance schemes to woo women. Analysts say Kumar's welfare schemes appeared to have appealed to female voters. The election was conducted after a controversial voter list revision carried out by India's Election Commission a few months ago. The commission released a list of 74.2 million voters in September, weeding out 4.7 million names.The exercise – which is now taking place in 12 states and federally-administered territories across India – was sharply criticised by the opposition.They accused the commission of dropping many voters, especially Muslims, to aid Modi's party. Both the BJP and the Election Commission have denied such allegations.Getty ImagesAnalysts say female voters are expected to play a key role in the Bihar electionsThis election was also closely watched because it could be the last one to see active participation from two regional stalwarts – Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of JD(U) and RJD's Lalu Prasad Yadav – who have shaped Bihar's politics for almost four decades.The political rivals, both in their 70s, are said to be in poor health. They have on occasion joined hands to stay in power.Kumar is one of the state's most influential leaders and has led the state government for most of the past two decades. Yadav, who was the state's chief minister in the past, is currently out on bail after being convicted in corruption cases. His son Tejashwi was projected as the chief ministerial candidate for the opposition alliance.Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.AsiaNarendra ModiIndia
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