Voting for 121 of the 243 Assembly seats in the first phase of the Bihar elections took place on Thursday. The provisional voter turnout was 64.6%, the Election Commission said.
The number was as of 8.15 pm, the poll panel said, adding that it was the highest ever voter turnout in Bihar.
At 9.15 pm, the Election Commission’s application data showed the highest turnout was recorded in Begusarai district (69.2%) and the lowest polling was in Patna district (57.9%).
Voting was held at 45,341 stations, most of them in rural areas. Of the 3.7 crore voters in these constituencies, 10.7 lakh are first-time voters, including 7.3 lakh between the age of 18 and 19.
The Opposition’s chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday urged the residents of Bihar to cast their votes in large numbers while keeping in mind their present and future, ANI reported.
“Vote for employment, education, good healthcare,” the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader said. “We are going to win, Bihar is going to win. A new government will be formed on 14th November...”
#WATCH | Patna: After casting his vote, RJD leader and Mahagathbandhan's CM face Tejashwi Yadav says, "I appeal to the people of Bihar to cast their votes in large numbers, keeping in mind their present and future. Vote for employment, education, good healthcare... We are going… pic.twitter.com/TiB6482PKN
— ANI (@ANI) November 6, 2025 As polling progressed, the RJD alleged that the local administration was deliberately slowing down voting at several booths in constituencies seen as strongholds of the party and its allies.
The Election Commission, in response, dismissed the allegation as “baseless and misleading”.
“Voting is taking place smoothly at all polling stations in Bihar,” the poll panel said on social media. “The Election Commission…is following all standard protocols to ensure that the voting process is fair, transparent and uninterrupted. There is no basis for such misleading propaganda.”
यह आरोप पूरी तरह निराधार और भ्रामक है। बिहार में सभी मतदान केन्द्रों पर सुचारू रूप से मतदान चल रहा है। भारत निर्वाचन आयोग मतदान प्रक्रिया को निष्पक्ष, पारदर्शी और निर्बाध बनाने के लिए सभी मानक प्रोटोकॉल का पालन कर रहा है। ऐसे भ्रामक प्रचार का कोई आधार नहीं है। https://t.co/4ZAErlSTt5
— Chief Electoral Officer, Bihar (@CEOBihar) November 6, 2025 The RJD also claimed that the district administration in Vaishali had “systematically” halted vehicles heading to Raghoopur through a bridge and boats from Kaccha Dargah.
This has deprived hundreds of voters in Raghoopur of their voting rights, the party claimed on social media. “Even upon showing voter cards, the police is not agreeing,” it added.
The Opposition party also claimed that the administration in the Danapur constituency had stopped the operation of boats, adding that voters were unable to reach their polling booths.
“Over 10,000 voters have been left reliant on a single steamer that makes only one round per day!” the party claimed on social media. “In such a situation, if any accident occurs, will the district administration take responsibility?”
The Election Commission has not yet commented on the allegations.
दानापुर विधानसभा में प्रशासन ने नावों का परिचालन बंद करवा दिया है, हजारों वोटर वोट डालने के लिए अपने बूथ नहीं जा पा रहे हैं!
एक स्टीमर, जो दिन में एक ही राउंड मारती है, के भरोसे 10 हजार से अधिक वोटरों को छोड़ दिया गया है!
ऐसे में कोई दुर्घटना हो गई तो जिला प्रशासन जिम्मेदारी… pic.twitter.com/HXmIxxkePa
— Rashtriya Janata Dal (@RJDforIndia) November 6, 2025 The contests
The main contest in Bihar is between the ruling National Democratic Alliance and the Opposition Mahagathbandhan.
The NDA comprises Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United), the Bharatiya Janata Party, Union minister Chirag Paswan’s faction of the Lok Janshakti Party, the Rashtriya Lok Morcha and the Hindustani Awam Morcha.
The Mahagathbandhan includes the RJD, the Congress, the Vikassheel Insaan Party and three Left parties – the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) – along with the newly-formed Indian Inclusive Party.
Former political strategist Prashant Kishor’s new Jan Suraaj party, which is not part of the two main alliances, is making its electoral debut.
Tejashwi Yadav is among the prominent candidates in fray in the first phase. Several ministers in the Nitish Kumar government, including both Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, are also contesting in the phase.
Yadav is contesting from Raghopur, where he is aiming for a third consecutive win. His main opponent is Satish Kumar of the BJP. Kumar had defeated Yadav’s mother and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi in 2010, when he contested on a JD(U) ticket.
In nearby Mahua, Yadav’s brother Tej Pratap Yadav, who recently formed his own Janshakti Janata Dal party, is in a multi-cornered contest. He is seeking to clinch the seat from RJD’s Mukesh Raushan, the sitting MLA.
Follow Scroll’s coverage of the Bihar polls here.
Choudhary, who has been a member of the Legislative Council for two terms, is contesting a direct election after about 10 years from Tarapur.
Other ministers, most from the BJP, in the fray include Nitin Nabin (Bankipur), Sanjay Saraogi (Darbhanga), Jibesh Kumar (Jale) and Kedar Prasad Gupta (Kurhani), all defending their seats. From Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), ministers Shrawan Kumar (Nalanda) and Vijay Kumar Chaudhary (Sarairanjan) are contesting.
One of the most closely watched battles is in Mokama, where JD(U)’s Anant Singh, currently in jail for his alleged role in the killing of a Jan Suraaj worker, is contesting against RJD’s Veena Devi, the wife of former MP and Suraj Bhan.
The election is being held after a special intensive revision of voter rolls in the state. In the final electoral roll published on September 30, at least 47 lakh voters were excluded.
Several petitions against the voter roll revision in Bihar flagged concerns that the process could remove eligible voters from the list.
According to the Election Commission, Digha in Patna has the highest number of voters at about 4.5 lakh, while Barbigha in Sheikhpura district has the fewest, at 2.3 lakh. Kurhani and Muzaffarpur constituencies have the highest number of candidates – 20 each – while Bhorey, Alauli, and Parbatta have the fewest, with five each.
The second phase of voting will be held on Tuesday and the votes will be counted on November 14.
In the 2020 Assembly polls, the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan ended up with an identical vote share at 37.2%.
However, the NDA returned to power in Bihar with a slender majority, winning 125 seats in the 243-member state Assembly. The Opposition bagged 110 seats.
The RJD emerged as the single-largest party with 75 seats but still lost the election.
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