Bihar registered a record voter turnout of 64.66% in the first phase of the assembly elections on Thursday, a sharp rise from the 56.1 per cent turnout in the opening phase of the 2020 polls. The Election Commission said this marks the highest voter participation in over two decades, surpassing the 62.57 per cent turnout recorded in 2000.
Voting was held across 121 constituencies in the first phase. While the counting of votes will take place on November 14, the unusually high turnout has already triggered claims of victory from both the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Mahagathbandhan alliance.