Polling for the first phase of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections began on Thursday morning, with senior leaders from both the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition coalition exercising their franchise early.
CM Kumar Urges Mass Participation
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar cast his vote at a polling booth in his hometown of Bakhtiyarpur constituency. The Janata Dal (United) leader, who arrived with a small entourage, proudly displayed his inked finger to the waiting media.
Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister took to X (formerly Twitter) to urge all eligible citizens to participate, framing voting as both a right and a crucial duty of democracy.
Nitish Kumar (on X): “In democracy, voting is not only our right but also our duty. Today, voting for the first phase of the Bihar Legislative Assembly elections is taking place—all voters are urged to exercise their voting rights. Vote and inspire others to vote as well. Vote first, then refreshments!“
Paswan Dismisses Allegations
Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan also exercised his franchise and appealed to voters to step out and participate in what he termed the “festival of democracy.”
Speaking to reporters, Paswan was upbeat about the alliance’s prospects and dismissed accusations being leveled by the opposition.
Chirag Paswan: “I appeal to everyone to come out and cast their vote. This vote can make your future much better.” Dismissing opposition allegations of slow polling and power cuts at certain booths, Paswan added, “The opposition always keeps putting false allegations when voting is going on.”
Polling and Security
The first phase of the elections covers 121 constituencies across 18 districts, with approximately 3.75 crore voters eligible to decide the fate of over 1,300 candidates. Key leaders whose fates are being decided in this phase include Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
According to the Election Commission, a voter turnout of 13.13 per cent was recorded across the 121 constituencies till 9 am.
Voting began at 7 a.m. and is scheduled to continue till 6 pm, although the polling time has been reduced to 5 pm in certain constituencies due to security reasons.