Bihar recorded its highest voter turnout since 1951, with 67.13% of registered voters casting their ballots, setting a historic benchmark. The elections, closely watched across the country, saw the NDA campaign on development versus misgovernance, while the opposition Mahagathbandhan focused on employment and allegations of vote manipulation to attract voters. Exit polls, however, indicate a strong lead for the NDA alliance.
The state has 243 Assembly seats, including two ST and 38 SC reserved constituencies, with 122 seats required for a majority. Bihar has 7.45 crore registered voters, comprising 3.92 crore men and 3.50 crore women. The elections were held in two phases. In the first phase on November 6, polling was conducted for 121 seats, with over 3.75 crore voters participating and turnout exceeding 65% among 1,314 candidates. The second phase on November 11 covered 112 seats, with 3.70 crore voters and over 69% turnout across 1,302 candidates.
In the NDA alliance, JD(U) and BJP contested 101 seats each, Lok Janshakti (Ram Vilas) 28, Hindusthani Awam Morcha 6, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha 6. In Madhubani, independent candidate Ankit Kumar received NDA support after Lok Janshakti candidate Seema Singh’s nomination was rejected. The Mahagathbandhan fielded RJD 143, Congress 61, CPI(ML)L 20, Vikasheel Insaan Party 12, CPI 9, CPM 4, Indian Inclusive Party 3, Jan Shakti Janata Dal 1, and 2 independents. Other parties in the fray included Jan Suraj Party (238), BSP (130), AAP (121), AIMIM (25), Rashtriya Lok Janshakti (25), and Azad Samaj Party (25). Key constituencies to watch were Raghopur (Tejashwi Yadav-RJD), Tarapur (Samrat Chaudhary-BJP), Lakhisarai (Vijay Kumar Sinha-BJP), Aleengar (Maithili Thakur-BJP), Gaya Town (Prem Kumar-BJP), Mahua (Tej Pratap Yadav-JD(U)), Supaul (Bijendra Prasad Yadav-JD(U)), Katihar (Tarkishore Prasad-BJP), and Kutumba (Rajesh Kumar-Congress).