Patna, Nov 6: Amid tight security, voting for the first phase of Bihar Assembly elections began at 7 am this morning and will conclude at 6 pm, and in some places, at 5 pm.

As of 9:00 a.m., Bihar recorded an overall voter turnout of 13.13% in the first phase of polling. Among the districts, Saharsa registered the highest turnout at 15.27%, while Lakhisarai reported the lowest at 7%. In the state capital, Patna, voter participation remained low, with a 11.22% turnout recorded by 9 a.m.

In this phase, 121 out of the total 243 assembly constituencies in the state went into the polls. Around 3.75 crore voters will decide the fate of 1,314 candidates contesting across 121 constituencies in 18 districts.

The districts going to the polls in the first phase include Patna, Darbhanga, Madhepura, Saharsa, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Vaishali, Samastipur, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Munger, Sheikhpura, Nalanda, Buxar, and Bhojpur.

Polling is being conducted at 45,341 booths across the state, of which 36,733 are located in rural areas. Among the 3.75 crore voters, 10.72 lakh are first-time electors.

The second phase of the elections is scheduled on November 11 and counting votes along with declaration of results will be done on November 14.

The elections witness a crucial triangular contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Indian National Congress-led Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), and Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party.