Bihar Election 2025: The voter turnout in the Bihar elections has surprised all. The high voter turnout has kept people guessing the directions of the winds with all the political parties claiming victory. Be it Mahagathbandhan, NDA or Jan Suraaj, every party has claimed that the voter turnout is in their favour. A total of 121 seats were voted in the phase-1 of the Bihar assembly elections, and the average voter turnout was 64.46% around 8.30 pm as the Election Commission of India was compiling and updating the data.
“The first phase of voting for the Bihar Assembly elections has been successfully completed. Voting is still ongoing in some places, and we’re updating data. The current voter turnout is 64.46%. We will release the final press note in an hour after everything is updated. The participation of women voters was very good,” said Bihar Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Gunjyal.
2010 To 2020 Voter Turnout
In the 2010 Bihar Assembly election, Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) contested in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party and secured a sweeping victory. The voter turnout that year was 52.73%, and the JD(U) alone won 115 seats.
Ahead of the 2015 election, Nitish Kumar shifted alliances, joining forces with long-time rival Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal. Voter turnout rose to around 57%, and the JD(U)–RJD coalition went on to win.
By 2020, Kumar reversed course once more, returning to the BJP-led alliance. That coalition again secured a win, with voter turnout recorded at 57.29%.
Political Reactions
Reacting to the high voter turnout, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “In the first phase of voting in the Bihar Assembly elections, the NDA has gained a massive lead. Along with this, its wave is visible everywhere in the second phase as well.”
Expressing confidence, Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor said, “Highest polling in the last 30 years indicates that change is coming to Bihar. A new system is going to be established on the 14th of November.”
In the first phase of the Bihar Election, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary said, “The way common voters in Bihar are coming out to vote clearly shows that this election has seen a 4-5% increase in voter turnout compared to the last election… According to reports from our representatives after the first phase, the NDA is winning around 100 of 121 seats, and this is set to break the 2010 results.”
On the other hand, the Mahagathbandhan parties, including Congress, exuded confidence in their alliance’s victory.
Anti-Incumbency In Play?
Often, a higher turnout is considered a sign of change, but the last few elections have defied that logic. Just like Madhya Pradesh in 2023 or Chhattisgarh in 2008 and 2013, the higher voter turnout resulted in pro-incumbency. In Madhya Pradesh, it was driven by the social welfare schemes like financial aid for women and students. A similar factor is also in play in Bihar, where the ‘Das hajari’ or Rs 10,000 scheme was rolled out just before the elections, handing cash to women to start a business.
With women voters turning out in a large number, it will be interesting to see whether there is a wind of change or voters have reimposed their faith in the Nitish-Modi pair.
In 2020, polling took place in three phases. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had secured 125 seats, while the opposition Mahagathbandhan (MGB) won 110. Among the major parties, the Janata Dal (United) secured 43 seats, the BJP secured 74, the RJD secured 75 seats, and the Congress secured 19. The JD(U) contested 115 constituencies, the BJP 110, whereas the RJD contested 144 seats and the Congress 70.
The first phase of voting in Bihar, covering 121 assembly seats, will conclude at 6:00 PM. Due to security considerations, polling time has been curtailed to 5:00 PM in some constituencies. The remaining 122 constituencies will vote in the second phase on November 11. The counting of votes will happen on November 14.
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