Bihar elections Phase 1 voting LIVE Update: Over 27% voter turnout as of 11 a.m.; polling picks up pace across 121 constituencies

Bihar elections Phase 1 voting LIVE Update: Over 27% voter turnout as of 11 a.m.; polling picks up pace across 121 constituencies

Bihar : Voting began for 121 seats in Bihar in the first phase of Assembly elections on Thursday morning amid tight security arrangements, an official said. The polling began at 7 am and will continue till 5 pm.

In the first phase, a total of 3.75 crore voters will decide the electoral fate of 1,314 candidates, including top leaders such as INDIA bloc's chief ministerial face Tejashwi Yadav and Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary of the BJP.

Yadav aims at a hat-trick in Raghopur, while his principal challenger Satish Kumar of the BJP had defeated his mother Rabri Devi in 2010 while contesting on a JD(U) symbol.

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The seat was expected to witness a high-voltage contest, with Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor declaring that he wanted to take on Yadav on his home turf. However, Kishor decided not to contest, and his party gave a ticket to a less fancied candidate Chanchal Singh.

In adjoining Mahua, Yadav's estranged elder brother Tej Pratap, who has floated his own outfit Janshakti Janata Dal, is locked in a multi-cornered contest.

The elder son of RJD president Lalu Prasad seeks to wrest the seat from sitting RJD MLA Mukesh Raushan, though the presence of Sanjay Singh, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) candidate who represents the NDA, and Independent Ashma Parveen, the runner-up of 2020, has queered the pitch.

Several ministers in the Nitish Kumar government, including Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, will also have their electoral fates decided in the first phase of polls. — with PTI

Golden opportunity to teach lesson to 'opportunistic rulers': Kharge to people of Bihar

November 6, 2025 10:18 am

The Congress urged the people of Bihar to vote for change with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge saying they have a golden opportunity to teach a lesson to the "opportunistic rulers" who have betrayed them by branding "corruption, misgovernance, and jungle raj as development". "We must build a Bihar where the future of the state's youth is secure and they do not have to suffer the scourge of unemployment and migration," the Congress chief said.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar casts vote in Patna's Bakhtiyarpur

November 6, 2025 10:16 am

Tej Pratap Yadav urges Bihar voters: 'Every vote is important, public blessings matter'

November 6, 2025 10:14 am

Vote for bright future of Bihar, to protect your right to vote: Priyanka Gandhi

November 6, 2025 9:46 am

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra urged the people of Bihar to vote for jobs, education, health, a bright future for the state, and to protect their right to vote. "My dear brothers, sisters, mothers, and youth of Bihar! Today is the day to decide your future with your own hands. Come out in large numbers and participate in this grand festival of democracy," Priyanka Gandhi said in a post on X in Hindi.

Deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary praises Nitish Kumar’s work, criticises Rahul Gandhi over Haryana claims

November 6, 2025 9:44 am

13.13% voter turnout recorded till 9 am

November 6, 2025 9:38 am

A total of 13.13 per cent of 3.75 crore voters exercised their franchise in the first two hours of voting in phase one of the Bihar Assembly elections on Thursday, an official said. Saharsa recorded the highest polling percentage so far at 15.27, followed by Begusarai (14.6) and Muzaffarpur (14.38).

Tejashwi urges Bihar to vote for jobs, education and healthcare; promises new govt on Nov 14

November 6, 2025 9:06 am

Tejashwi, Giriraj, Lalan among early voters

November 6, 2025 8:59 am

Several senior politicians, including RJD leader and INDIA bloc's CM candidate Tejashwi Yadav and Union minister Giriraj Singh, were among those who cast their votes early during the first phase. Tejashwi Yadav, along with his family members, including RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, cast his vote at a booth in Veterinary College in Patna. Bihar Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha and Union minister Giriraj Singh cast their votes at respective booths in Lakhisarai, while Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan' exercised his franchise in Patna. State Road Construction Minister Nitin Nabin voted along with his wife Deepmala Srivastava at a polling booth in Patna's Digha Assembly segment.

RJD leader and Mahagathbandhan’s CM face Tejashwi Yadav, RJD leader Misa Bharti leave from their residence to cast vote

November 6, 2025 8:28 am

Singer-actor and RJD candidate from Chapra, Khesari Lal Yadav cast his vote at a polling booth in Ekma, Saran

November 6, 2025 8:25 am

Polling for remaining 122 seats to be held on November 11

November 6, 2025 7:41 am

The votes will be counted on November 14.

PM Modi urges Bihar to vote with full enthusiasm

November 6, 2025 7:34 am

बिहार में आज लोकतंत्र के उत्सव का पहला चरण है। विधानसभा चुनावों में इस दौर के सभी मतदाताओं से मेरा आग्रह है कि वे पूरे उत्साह के साथ मतदान करें। इस मौके पर पहली बार वोट डालने जा रहे राज्य के अपने सभी युवा साथियों को मेरी विशेष बधाई। याद रखना है- पहले मतदान, फिर जलपान!

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1986240868463026416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2025

Deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary, Vijay Kumar Sinha also to have their electoral fates decided in first phase

November 6, 2025 7:30 am

Sinha hopes to retain Lakhisarai for the fourth consecutive term, surmounting the not-so-formidable challenge provided by Amresh Kumar of the Congress and Suraj Kumar of the Jan Suraaj Party. Choudhary, who is enjoying his second consecutive term in the legislative council, is contesting a direct election after about a decade from Tarapur. The former state BJP president faces a stiff challenge from RJD's Arun Kumar Sah, who had lost the seat in 2020 by a thin margin of about 5,000 votes.

Tejashwi's estranged elder brother Tej Pratap locked in multi-cornered contest in Mahua

November 6, 2025 7:24 am

Tej Pratap, elder son of RJD president Lalu Prasad, who has floated his own outfit Janshakti Janata Dal, seeks to wrest the seat from sitting RJD MLA Mukesh Raushan, though the presence of Sanjay Singh, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) candidate who represents the NDA, and Independent Ashma Parveen, the runner-up of 2020, has queered the pitch.

Tejashwi Yadav aims at a hat-trick in Raghopur

November 6, 2025 7:22 am

Yadav aims at a hat-trick in Raghopur, while his principal challenger Satish Kumar of the BJP had defeated his mother Rabri Devi in 2010 while contesting on a JD(U) symbol.

Voting begins for 121 seats in Bihar in the first phase of Assembly elections

November 6, 2025 7:13 am

In the first phase, a total of 3.75 crore voters will decide the electoral fate of 1,314 candidates.