Counting of votes begins at 8 this morning for the crucial Bihar assembly election, a close contest fought bitterly by the BJP and the Nitish Kumar led 'Grand Alliance' over five phases.
Here are the 10 latest developments in this story:
"Good morning, we are winning," said Nitish Kumar's partner Lalu Yadav, early on Sunday, adding that he has "slept well." Mr Yadav has earlier assessed that his alliance will get at least 190 of Bihar's 243 seats.
"Lalu Yadav should have said good night," said a BJP leader at the party headquarters in Patna. "A new day is dawning for Bihar," he said asserting that his party's alliance would form government in Bihar.
NDTV's exit poll showed the BJP and allies winning the state with 125 seats, three more than required in the 243-member Bihar assembly to form government.
The NDTV exit poll, with a massive sample size of 76,000 people in all 243 constituencies, showed the Nitish Kumar-Lalu Yadav-Congress alliance winning 110 seats.
At 58.6 per cent, this year's election saw the best voter turnout in Bihar in 15 years, with women voting in higher numbers than men. NDTV's exit polls showed that women and older people supported the grand alliance, while young voters supported the BJP.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned extensively, addressing at least 30 rallies, and the Bihar vote is being viewed by many as a referendum on the PM's premiership, though the BJP says it does not agree.
In its aggressive mission to win the state, the BJP tied up with three parties - the Lok Janshakti Party, the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party and Hindustani Awam Morcha - which have support among the Dalits and Other Backward Castes, who constitute about 50 percent of Bihar's population.
With the BJP not naming a chief ministerial candidate, Nitish Kumar faced off with PM Modi and has sought to project the contest as one between a "Bihari" and a "Bahari (outsider)."
The campaign was bitter and the attacks from both sides often personal. More than a dozen cases were registered by election officials against top leaders, including BJP chief Amit Shah and Lalu Yadav, for alleged hate speeches.
A win in Bihar will boost PM Modi's chances of building the parliamentary strength he needs to push through key reforms. The government is in a minority in the Rajya Sabha, which is selected on the basis of parties' strength in state assemblies.
