RJD alleges power-cuts at booth with strong Mahagathbandhan support
What's the story
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has claimed that electricity was intermittently cut off at the polling station with massive Mahagathbandhan support. In a post on X, the party claimed that this was done with the intention of slowing down the voting. "Slow voting is being deliberately caused," the party alleged. The party urged the Election Commission to take "immediate cognizance of such rigging with 'malicious intent' and 'malafide intentions' and take prompt action."
ECI
ECI reacts
The Election Commission promptly reacted to the allegation, calling it "baseless and misleading." "This allegation is completely baseless and misleading. Voting is taking place smoothly at all polling stations in Bihar. The Election Commission of India is following all standard protocols to ensure that the voting process is fair, transparent, and uninterrupted. There is no basis for such misleading propaganda," the Bihar Electoral Officer wrote on X.
RJD
RJD chief hopes for change
The first phase of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections kicked off on Thursday, with over 37.5 million voters eligible to vote in 121 constituencies. Polling began at 7:00am and will continue till 5:00pm. The second phase of polling is scheduled for November 11, with the counting of votes on November 14. RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav cast his vote at the Veterinary College Ground polling booth. He expressed confidence in a change, saying, "Badlaav hoga" (There will be a change).
Election landscape
Notable candidates in this phase
The state recorded a voter turnout of 27.65 percent till 11:00am. According to initial figures, Begusarai registered the highest voter turnout at 30.37 percent, followed by Lakhisarai at 30.32%, while Patna reported the lowest at 23.71 percent in the first four hours of polling. Digha constituency in Patna has the largest voter base with about 458,000 voters, while Barbigha in Sheikhpura has the smallest at 232,000. A total of 1,314 candidates are contesting this phase.