New Delhi: Bihar is set for the first phase of polling in the 2025 Assembly elections on Thursday. It will mark the beginning of a high-stakes political battle across 121 constituencies in 18 districts. This phase will decide the fate of some of the state’s most prominent political figures with about 3.75 crore registered voters and 1,314 candidates in the fray.
The Election Commission has deployed 45,341 polling stations with about 36,733 of them in rural areas. This phase also includes 10.72 lakh first-time voters and 7.38 lakh youth in the 18-19 age group.
Major contenders and high-profile seats
The electoral contest primarily pits the ruling National Democratic Alliance, comprising BJP, JD(U), HAM and VIP, against the Mahagathbandhan or INDIA bloc, led by RJD and supported by Congress and Left parties. A third front, Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party, will also test its strength on multiple seats.
Among the most watched seats is Raghopur in Vaishali, where RJD leader and Opposition’s chief ministerial face Tejashwi Yadav is seeking for a third consecutive victory. He faces BJP’s Satish Kumar and Jan Suraaj’s Chanchal Kumar.
In Tarapur (Munger), Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary of the BJP contests against RJD’s Arun Shah. In Lakhisarai, Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha aims for a sixth term. He is challenged by Jan Suraaj Party’s Suraj Kumar.
Other high-profile battles include:
Mahua: Tej Pratap Yadav (JJD) vs Mukesh Raushan (RJD)
Alinagar (Darbhanga): Singer Maithili Thakur (BJP) vs Binod Mishra (RJD)
Patna Sahib: Ratnesh Kushwaha (BJP) vs Shashant Shekhar (Congress)
Arrah: Sanjay Singh ‘Tiger’ (BJP) vs Vijay Kumar Gupta (JSP)
Voter demographics and constituency highlights
Digha has the highest number of voters, about 4.58 lakh, while Barbigha has the lowest at 2.32 lakh. Kurhani and Muzaffarpur have the largest number of candidates (20 each). Bhor, Alauli and Parbatta have just five contestants each.
The second phase will be held on November 11. The counting of votes is scheduled for November 14.