(MENAFN) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his congratulations to his political partners on Friday after a coalition guided by the ruling party achieved a clear majority in a regional election in Bihar, one of the nation’s most densely populated states.

The Modi-headed National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has already secured more than 200 seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly while ballot counting continues.

The prime minister’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which competed for 101 constituencies in partnership with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), has risen as the largest single party, despite never previously holding power independently in Bihar.

The NDA’s cumulative haul surpassing 200 seats ensures Kumar a fifth consecutive term as chief minister.

Since Bihar sends 40 representatives to India’s lower house of Parliament, the state remains pivotal for any governing coalition in New Delhi.

“People of Bihar [have] voted for development. They have broken all records,” Modi declared while speaking to party members at BJP headquarters in New Delhi.

He additionally shared a message on X congratulating the NDA alliance and indicating that the outcome reflected the triumph of “good governance,” “development” and “social justice.”

The opposing front was steered by the Indian National Congress along with regional socialist organizations gathered under the banner of the ‘Mahagathbandhan’, or Grand Alliance.

Forecasts indicate that the opposition coalition will surpass only the 35-seat threshold. Voting occurred in two stages on November 6 and November 11.

Throughout the campaign, the opposition alleged that a disputed revision of voter lists by the Election Commission (EC) removed legitimate voters, thereby providing an unfair benefit to the ruling bloc. The EC and the governing NDA rejected the accusation.

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