Bihar election phase 1: 42.3% voter turnout recorded till 1:00pm
What's the story
The first phase of voting in Bihar's 121 constituencies across 18 districts began on Thursday at 7:00am. Voting will continue till 5:00pm. The state recorded a voter turnout of 42.31% till 1:00pm. Gopalganj has recorded the highest voter turnout so far at 46.73%, while Patna remains lowest at 37.72%. The second phase on November 11 will cover the remaining 122 constituencies.
Political landscape
NDA vs Mahagathbandhan
The battle this time is between two major alliances: the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Mahagathbandhan. The NDA, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), includes Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha. Meanwhile, Mahagathbandhan consists of the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), VIP, and Left parties such as CPI, CPI-ML, and CPI(M).
Candidate lineup
Key candidates in 1st phase
Among the prominent candidates in the first phase are Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, contesting from Tarapur and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav (Raghopur). Other notable figures include Tejashwi's estranged brother Tej Pratap Yadav, JD(U) state president Umesh Kushwaha, RJD leader Bhola Yadav, and folk singer Maithili Thakur, who is making her electoral debut from Alinagar. A total of 1,314 candidates are contesting in this phase.
Pledges
Promises by parties
Unemployment, outmigration, corruption, and the degradation of education and healthcare were the dominant themes in this election campaign. The opposition's CM face, Tejashwi, has pledged one government job for every home, totaling 1.3 crore jobs over five years. It challenges the NDA manifesto, which promises 1 crore government jobs and aims to generate 1 crore female lakhpatis. Meanwhile, Prashant Kishor of the Jan Suraj Party focused on jobs, education, corruption, and the decline in essential services.
2020
Previous result
In the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, the NDA secured a narrow majority, winning 125 seats in the 243-member House. The BJP emerged as the single-largest party within the NDA alliance with 74 seats, while the JD(U) won 43, a significant dip from its previous record. The opposition Mahagathbandhan, led by the RJD, won 110 seats. The RJD finished as the single-largest party overall, with 75 seats, followed by the Congress (19) and the Left parties (16).