NEW DELHI: The final voter turnout in the first phase of the Bihar legislative election was recorded to be 65.08 per cent, announced the Chief Electoral Officer. This turned out to be 0.42 per cent more than the tentative voter turnout of 64.66 per cent.A total of 3.75 crore voters were eligible in the polls, out of which 1.98 crore are men and 1.76 crore are women. Women had a significantly large turnout across 45,341 polling stations in the first phase.The CEO of Bihar stated that this year’s election in the state saw a 7.79 per cent increase in voter turnout compared to the 2020 Bihar Assembly General Elections, which was 57.29 per cent. Additionally, there was an 8.8 per cent increase in voter turnout compared to the 2024 Lok Sabha General Elections, which was 56.28 per cent.
The 2025 polls marked the highest voter turnout, breaking the record of the 1998 assembly polls, which recorded a 64.6 per cent voter turnout.The phase 1 elections marked some of the key battlegrounds that drew public attention. Raghopur was Tejashwi Yadav‘s stronghold, while Mahua, being his brother, Tej Pratap Yadav’s constituency, with his new party, Janshakti Janata Dal. The deputy CM Samrat Choudhary stood from Tarapur while deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha was in the polls as Lakhisarai’s candidate. Some other highlights were Alinagar, which marks singer Maithili Thakur’s debut in politics, and Mokama, being the seat for JD(U)’s Anant Singh, where he faced RJD’s Veena Devi amid a murder case.Leaders across Bihar had their own takes regarding the people turning out in large numbers. In the latest, addressing a rally in Sitamarhi, PM Modi attacked RJD, saying, “first phase voter turnout in Bihar polls is 65-volt ‘jhatka’ to jungle raj.” Earlier, he had reposed this as a people’s trust in the “track record of Narendra and Nitish.”Incumbent CM Nitish Kumar congratulated the voters for a record turnout. “Now is the time to place Bihar in the category of the most developed states,” the chief minister wrote on his X.Mahagathbandhan’s deputy chief minister, Mukesh Sahani, contrarily pointed out SIR as one of the reasons behind the increased vote count. Reaffirming his belief in MGB winning the legislative polls, he said, “Let NDA be happy after seeing the voting percentage for a few days. Let them be happy. However, the voting percentage has not increased; the pattern remains the same as before. With at least 20 thousand votes cut in each constituency, accounting for that, has the percentage increased? Let them (NDA) burst crackers for a few days.“On November 6, Bihar held its first phase of voting for 121 seats across 18 districts. The second phase of the Bihar Assembly elections is scheduled for November 11, with counting of votes to be conducted on November 14. In the second phase, 122 seats in 20 districts will go to the polls, and subsequently, polling for the Bihar elections will conclude. Districts including Aurangabad, Jahanabad, Gaya, Nawada, Jamui, Bhagalpur, Purnia and others will be included in the second phase.The first phase of Bihar legislative polls was held on November 6 across 121 constituencies in 18 districts. The second phase is marked for November 11, covering 122 seats in 20 districts, including Aurangabad, Jehanabad, Gaya, Nawada, Jamui, Bhagalpur, and Purnia. The counting is scheduled for November 14.
