New Delhi, Nov. 14 -- The stage is set for the counting of votes on Thursday for 243 Assembly election seats in Bihar, which will also decide whether JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar will get a record fifth term or the state will witness a change in government.

The counting will start from 8 am amid tight security. The initial trends are expected around 9 am.

The result will decide the fate of over 2,000 candidates, including 101 from Janata Dal (United) who are in the fray.

In 2020, JD(U) contested 115 seats and won 43 seats, a drop of more than 25 seats compared with the previous assembly polls. However, this time, most of the exit polls have forecast more seats for JD(U).

Almost all the exit polls have predicted a clear sweep for NDA, wh...