Bihar records historic 64.66% turnout in first phase of Assembly Elections - Begusarai, Gopalganj lead the pack

Bihar witnessed the first phase of its 2025 Assembly elections come to an end on Thursday, 6 November, with a historic voter turnout of 64.66%. During a press conference in Patna, Bihar Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Vinod Singh Gunjiyal said that women voted in large numbers.

Such massive voter turnouts in Bihar, yet lower than those of the 2025 Assembly Elections, were recorded in the 1998 Lok Sabha Elections, when the voter turnout reached 64.6%, while the Assembly Elections in 2000 saw 62.57% participation.

Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 Phase 1 polling: Key points to know

• Polling began at 7 AM for 121 out of 243 constituencies – with electors voting to decide the outcome of a fierce triangular contest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal (United) led-National Democratic Alliance, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Indian National Congress-led Mahagathbandhan (or Grand Alliance) and Prashant Kishor’s debutant outfit – Jan Suraaj Party.

• Among the 18 districts that went to the polls in the first phase, Begusarai recorded the highest turnout of 67.32%, followed by Gopalganj at 64.96% and Muzaffarpur at 65.96%. In Patna district, the polling percentage was 55.02%.

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• CEO Gunjyal also stated that polling was boycotted in certain booths in Buxar, Fatuha, and Suryagarh, according to PTI.

• Polling concluded at 6 PM. However, due to security considerations, polling time was curtailed to 5 pm in Simri Bakhtiyarpur, Mahishi, Tarapur, Munger, Jamalpur, and in 56 polling booths of the Suryagarha Assembly segment.

Which years saw the highest and lowest voter turnouts?

On Thursday, Bihar recorded the highest voter turnout in the state's history, with 64.66% participation.

The year 1951-52 saw the lowest voter turnout — 40.35% for the Lok Sabha Elections and 42.6% for the Assembly Elections.

Before the 2025 Assembly Elections, Bihar saw the highest voter turnout in 1998 – 64.6% for the Lok Sabha polls that year, followed by 62.57% for the 2000 Assembly elections.

Who are the top contenders for the Bihar CM post?

The next Bihar CM's selection depends on which alliance wins the 2025 Assembly polls. The Mahagadhbandhan, or the INDIA bloc, has already announced RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as the CM face of the alliance. However, the suspense continues over the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) CM face, with many speculating whether it will be Nitish Kumar or if the BJP will announce its own chief minister candidate this time.

Bihar Assembly Elections Second phase

The second and the last phase will be held on 11 November. The counting will take place on 14 November.