August 30, 2026 03:49 pm (IST)
Follow us:
Bihar Polls
Bihar Assembly Election: Phase 1 polls underway, 27.65% voter turnout recorded till 11 am
Patna/IBNS: The first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections began early Thursday (November 6), marking the start of polling across 121 of the State’s 243 constituencies.
More than 3.75 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots in this phase.
Voting commenced at 7 a.m. and will continue until 5 p.m. across 45,341 polling stations.
At 11 a.m., voter turnout stood at 27.65%, according to the Bihar Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).
Begusarai district recorded the highest turnout at 30.37%, closely followed by Lakhisarai (30.32%) and Gopalganj (30.04%), while Patna reported the lowest turnout so far at 23.71%, the CEO stated.
This phase is particularly significant for smaller parties in both alliances. The CPI(ML), contesting 20 seats overall, has 10 in this round, six of which it currently holds.
In the NDA camp, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas) is contesting 10 of its 29 seats in this phase, though it presently holds only one.
The party’s seat allocation had earlier triggered unease within the NDA, especially from the JD(U), which questioned whether the share was justified given the LJP(RV)’s limited representation in the Assembly.
Several prominent candidates are in the fray in this round, including the Opposition’s Chief Ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav, along with over a dozen BJP and JD(U) Ministers from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s government — among them Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha.
Several prominent candidates are in the fray in this round, including the Opposition’s Chief Ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav, along with over a dozen BJP and JD(U) Ministers from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s government — among them Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha.
The first phase also features notable newcomers and celebrities, such as young folk singer Maithili Thakur (BJP-Aliganj), Bhojpuri star Khesari Lal Yadav (RJD-Chhapra), and singer-turned-politician Ritesh Pandey (Jan Suraaj Party – Kargahar).
According to Election Commission data, the Digha Assembly seat in Patna has the highest number of electors in this phase, with over 4.56 lakh voters, followed by Kumhrar with over 4.3 lakh.
In total, around 1.98 crore male and 1.76 crore female voters are expected to exercise their franchise on Thursday.
Voting held in Bhimbandh after 20 years
In a notable development, polling took place in Munger’s Maoist-affected Bhimbandh area for the first time in two decades.
Voting held in Bhimbandh after 20 years
In a notable development, polling took place in Munger’s Maoist-affected Bhimbandh area for the first time in two decades.
The region had witnessed the brutal killing of SP C. Surendra Babu and seven police personnel in 2005, after which polling activities were suspended.
Thursday’s voting marked a symbolic return of democracy to Bhimbandh, where residents turned out with visible enthusiasm.
Voting is being conducted peacefully so far across all three Assembly constituencies in Munger district.
Seven polling stations in Bhimbandh reopened, with a heavy deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) ensuring a secure and smooth polling process.
#Bihar
# Bihar Assembly election
# Bihar elections
# Bihar polls
# Bihar Assembly polls
# Bihar Phase 1
# Bihar Phase 1 Election
# RJD
# JDU
# Bihar Voter Turnout
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Latest Headlines
Be loyal to America, it is your karmabhoomi: Mohan Bhagwat to Indian diaspora at New York's Madison Square Garden
Sun, Aug 30 2026
Messi Kolkata fiasco: Bengal CM promises refunds for 33,000 fans
Sun, Aug 30 2026
MK Stalin’s security cover downgraded from Z+ to Z in Tamil Nadu
Sun, Aug 30 2026
‘A Hindu Is Not Hindu If He Wants Muslims Out’: Bhagwat Says at NY's Madison Square Garden
Sat, Aug 29 2026
From Nandigram to Nabanna: Suvendu Adhikari’s political journey takes centre stage at Kolkata Durga Puja pandal
Sat, Aug 29 2026
VHP breaks silence on Durga Puja ‘guidelines’: No blanket non-veg ban, clarifies stand on theme pandals amid backlash
Sat, Aug 29 2026