Bihar Assembly Elections 2025: Phase 1 Sees 27.65% Voter Turnout by 11 AM
Patna, Bihar – The first phase of the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 is underway, with 27.65% of voters casting their ballots by 11:00 AM, according to the Election Commission of India. Polling began at 7:00 AM across 121 constituencies in 18 districts of the state.
The initial hours of voting saw varied levels of participation across the districts. Begusarai recorded the highest voter turnout at 30.37%, closely followed by Lakhisarai at 30.32%. Gopalganj also showed strong participation, with 30.04% of electors exercising their right to vote. In contrast, Patna, the state capital, registered a comparatively lower turnout of 23.71% by 11:00 AM.
Other districts reported the following voter turnouts by 11:00 AM: Buxar (28.02%), Bhojpur (26.76%), Darbhanga (26.07%), Khagaria (28.96%), Madhepura (28.46%), Munger (26.68%), Muzaffarpur (29.66%), Nalanda (26.86%), Saharsa (29.68%), Samastipur (27.92%), Saran (28.52%), Sheikhpura (26.04%), Siwan (27.09%), and Vaishali (28.67%).
Earlier in the day, by 9:00 AM, the overall voter turnout was 13.13%. Saharsa recorded the highest turnout at that time with 15.27%, while Lakhisarai had the lowest at 7%.
The first phase of the election is crucial, with over 3.75 crore electors eligible to vote and decide the fate of 1,314 candidates. Key candidates in this phase include Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), Samrat Choudhary (BJP), and Tej Pratap Yadav. Tejashwi Yadav, the Mahagathbandhan's Chief Ministerial face, is contesting from Raghopur.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to voters to participate enthusiastically in the "festival of democracy," especially encouraging first-time voters. He emphasized the importance of voting before any other activity. JD(U) working president Sanjay Jha noted the strong turnout of women voters, attributing it to their confidence in Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Nitish Kumar also cast his vote and urged citizens to vote and encourage others to do the same.
The Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the Bihar Legislative Assembly election on October 6, 2025. Polling for the first phase is taking place today, November 6, with the second phase scheduled for November 11. The results will be declared on November 14.
The Election Commission has rejected allegations made by the RJD regarding power cuts in "strong booth" areas, dismissing them as baseless. Security measures have been heightened across the constituencies, with polling concluding at 6:00 PM in most areas and at 5:00 PM in some due to security concerns.
