Patna, Nov. 14 -- As counting progresses for the Bihar Assembly elections, early leads indicate a strong and commanding lead for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), signalling what could be one of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's most decisive electoral victories.

The trends suggest that the renewed JD(U)-BJP partnership, backed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nationwide popularity, is steering the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) toward a sweeping mandate of over the 243 seat assembly.

The Nitish Kumar-led NDA has secured a combined total of 188 seats, with BJP leading in 85, JDU in 75, LJP 22, HAM 4 and RLM 3 as per data from the EC at 11:45 am.

RJD leads in 36 seats, Congress leads in 6, CPI(ML) lead 7, while CPI-M and V...