Prashant Kishor on record voter turnout in Bihar Elections: ‘Signals change is coming, migrants the X factor’

Bihar Elections 2025: Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor has said the record voter turnout in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections indicates that "change is coming to Bihar". Kishor, the former political strategist, also said that the high turnout showed that migrants are an 'X factor' in the elections this time.

Bihar Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Vinod Gunjyal on Thursday stated that the first phase of the assembly elections was concluded peacefully, with the state witnessing a voter turnout of approximately 64.46 per cent.

The voter turnout in the 2025 assembly elections remains the highest since the 2000 assembly elections, according to Election Commission data. The voting percentage in 2000 was 62.57 per cent.

“This is highest ever voter turn out in Bihar since independence. It indicates two things – one is like we said before. More than 60 per cent of Bihar wants change,” Kishor told journalists in Gaya.

Of the 45,341 polling booths in Bihar, the voter turnout of 64.46 per cent is based on data from 41,943 booths. The Bihar CEO said that the final data will be available in due course.

The first phase saw voting for 121 seats. The remaining 122 constituencies will vote in the second phase on November 11. The counting of votes will happen on November 14.

“The other factor was that migrant labourers who had come for Chhath Puja stayed back and voted. They also made their friends and families vote. Women are key, but migrants are the X factor in this election. Its a message for those who said ₹10000 for women can win their elections,” Kishor said.

Kishor's party, Jan Suraaj, is a new entrant in the Bihar elections and has fielded candidates across the state.

In an exclusive conversation with Mint in Bihar's Madhepura on 29 October, Kishor spoke about the ‘hopelessness’ among voters, his message to end ‘political bonded labour,’ his critique of cash doles and freebies, and why he believes November 14 — the result day — could mark the beginning of a new political chapter for Bihar.

“People have tried everything in the last 30 years. Yet, the hopelessness of the people is such that even if they see a better option, they find it too good to be true. Our fight is with that hopelessness. And that is why I say people have to take a leap of faith that our lives can also be changed, and Bihar, like other states, can improve. And if people come out of that hopelessness, you will see a revolution in Bihar and the emergence of a new system in Bihar,” he told Mint.