Patna, November 6: The first phase of the 2025 Bihar state assembly elections is underway, with voters casting their ballots across 121 of the state’s 243 constituencies. This crucial phase sees a fierce triangular contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-Indian National Congress (INC)-led Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), and Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party.

Polling began at 7 AM and will continue until 6 PM, though in some areas, it concluded by 5 PM. By 1 PM, Bihar had recorded a voter turnout of 42.31%, as per the Election Commission’s data. Gopalganj led the turnout with 46.73%, followed closely by Begusarai at 46.02%. The state capital, Patna, recorded the lowest turnout at 37.72%.

Several high-profile candidates are facing off in key constituencies. Among them are Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Samrat Choudhary (BJP), who is contesting from Tarapur; RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, the opposition’s chief ministerial face, contesting from Raghopur; his brother Tej Pratap Yadav, contesting from Mahua with his own outfit, Janshakti Janata Dal; BJP’s Maithili Thakur, running from Alinagar; and JD(U)’s Anant Singh, who is contesting from Mokama, despite being jailed in connection with the murder of a Jan Suraaj Party supporter, Dularchand Yadav.

This election marks the debut of Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party, which has made a bold entry into the political arena, further intensifying the contest.

Tejashwi Yadav, seeking to continue his successful run in the Raghopur constituency, faces BJP’s Satish Kumar, who had defeated Tejashwi’s mother, Rabri Devi, from this seat in 2010 while contesting under a JD(U) banner.

Which Districts are Voting Today?
Voters from 18 districts are casting their ballots in this phase, including Patna, Darbhanga, Madhepura, Saharsa, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Vaishali, Samastipur, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Munger, Sheikhpura, Nalanda, Buxar, and Bhojpur.

Voter Statistics
A total of 3.75 crore voters are eligible to vote in this phase, with 1,314 candidates contesting across 121 constituencies. These elections are being held at 45,341 polling stations, of which 36,733 are in rural areas. Among the total electorate, 10.72 lakh are first-time voters.

Key Political Alliances and Competitors

1. National Democratic Alliance (NDA): Currently in power, the NDA includes Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), the BJP, Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha, and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha.
2. Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance): The opposition alliance is led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Indian National Congress (INC), Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation (CPI-ML), Communist Party of India (CPI-M), and Mukesh Sahani’s Vikassheel Insaan Party.
3. Jan Suraaj Party: Led by political strategist Prashant Kishor, the Jan Suraaj Party is debuting in the Bihar assembly elections with candidates contesting across all 243 seats.

Key Facts About Phase 1 of the Bihar Assembly Polls:

• 1,314 candidates are contesting today, with 122 females and 1,192 males.
• The total electorate includes 1,98,35,325 male voters, 1,76,77,219 female voters, and 758 third-gender voters.
• Among the voters, 7,37,765 are aged 18-19 years, and 6,736 voters are over 100 years old.
• There are 45,341 polling stations in total, with 36,733 in rural areas and 8,608 in urban areas. Additionally, 320 stations are designated as model polling stations, 926 are all-women-managed, and 107 are managed by people with disabilities.

As the first phase continues, the eyes of Bihar are firmly set on the high-stakes contests unfolding in key constituencies, with the state’s political future hanging in the balance.