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Polling for the first phase of the high-stakes Bihar Assembly elections took place on Thursday across 121 constituencies in 18 districts, with over 3.75 crore (37.5 million) voters eligible to decide the fate of 1,314 candidates. Voting began at 7 a.m. and continued till 5 p.m. at 45,341 polling stations, most of which were located in rural areas.

The first trends of morning at 9:30 shows an approximate 13.13% of voting during the 1st phase of Bihar Assembly Elections. 

The first phase witnessed steady voter turnout throughout the day, with young and first-time voters turning out in significant numbers. Final figures from the Election Commission are awaited, but officials indicated that polling remained largely peaceful across all districts.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to participate enthusiastically, calling the elections a “festival of democracy” and congratulating first-time voters.

This phase is critical for both alliances, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP and JD(U), and the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan), led by the RJD and Congress. The outcome in this round will determine the prospects of top leaders including Tejashwi Yadav, Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, among others.

In the 2020 Assembly polls, constituencies voting in this phase had recorded a turnout of around 54.3%, with the RJD winning 42 seats, BJP 32, JD(U) 23, Congress 8, and Left parties 11. The RJD’s vote share in these constituencies stood at 23.8%, compared to 17% each for the BJP and JD(U).

Officials expect a similar or slightly higher turnout this time, with early reports suggesting brisk polling in urban and semi-urban areas. The remaining two phases of polling will take place on November 11 and 17, with results scheduled to be declared on November 14.