PATNA — Supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are celebrating as the party-led alliance heads for a decisive win in India's northern state of Bihar.

Counting began at 08:00 local time [02:30 GMT] and although results have just started trickling in, the alliance is leading in nearly 200 of the 243 seats.

As counting progresses, results can change in some seats, but it's unlikely that the opposition — ahead in less than 40 seats — can claw its way back into the reckoning.

The polls were held after a controversial revision of rolls that the opposition alleged would exclude genuine voters and give BJP an edge — a charge both the party and Election Commission denied.

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 commission said.

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.

The BJP and several of its top leaders have hailed the result and thanked voters in Bihar. The opposition has not commented on the trends.

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.

One 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 criticized 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.

This 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. — BBC