Bihar election 2025: Polling ends for 1st phase with record 64.6% voter turnout

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: Over two lakh senior citizens aged 85 and above voted in the first phase of the assembly polls, according to theElection Commission.

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: The second and the last phase will be held on November 11. The counting will take place on November 14.

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: The first phase of the Bihar election witnessed a record provisional voter turnout of 64.66%, the highest in the state's history, according to the Election Commission.

A voter turnout of 62.57% was last recorded in the 2000 Bihar Assembly elections, and a turnout of 64.6% was recorded in the 1998 Lok Sabha election, according to EC data.

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: According to the Election Commission (EC), Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with ECs Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi, kept a close watch on the polling through live-webcasting, which has been ensured in 100% of the Polling Stations for the first time in Bihar.

“CEC Gyanesh Kumar personally engaged with the Presiding Officers and DEOs from the Control Room in ECI to ensure that the polling progressed smoothly,” the poll body said in a press note.

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: Bihar Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Gunjyal says that polling was boycotted in certain booths in Buxar, Fatuha and Suryagarha, according to PTI.

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: Bihar Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Gunjyal says that 143 complaints were received today and all of them were resolved on time.

"By the end of voting, 143 complaints were received. All were resolved on time. Furthermore, all complaints received directly by phone were resolved on time. Information about boycotts was also received at some polling stations, including polling station number 56 in the Brahmapur assembly constituency of Buxar district, polling stations number 165 and 166 in the Fatuha assembly constituency, and polling stations number 1, 2, and 5 in Suryagarha, near Lakhisarai... No untoward incidents have been reported in the first phase of voting that concluded today. Voting was conducted peacefully and smoothly," he added.

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: Bihar Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Singh Gunjiyal is sharing the data of the first phase of polling during a press conference.

He says that the voting percentage as of now is 64.46 % and the final figure will come in an hour, and the women voted in large numbers.

"The first phase of voting concluded successfully today, there were 45,341 polling booths... Out of these booths, at some places voting is still going on, data is being updated at some places by presiding officers, the data of 41,943 booths have been updated, according to it, the voting percentage is 64.46 pc, the final press note will be released in an hour, you will get the final figure then. There were a total of 3,75,00,000 voters, 1,98,00,000 males, and 1,76,00,000 females. Women voted in large numbers..." he said, according to PTI.

"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 (November)..." Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor tells ANI.

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: According to the Election Commission, an approximate voter turnout of 60.28% was recorded across Bihar in the first phase.

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: The Chief Electoral Officer, Bihar has announced a press conference at 7:30 pm on Thursday, following the completion of the first phase of polling for the Bihar Assembly Elections.

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: On the conclusion of first phase of voting in Bihar, deputy chief minister Samrat Chaudhary says: "I want to thank the Bihar administration, the people of Bihar, and the Election Commission for the peaceful voting. 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. The Chief Ministerial candidate of the Mahagathbandhan is also going to lose in today's election... This time too, no one from Lalu Yadav's entire family will win the election. Everyone will face defeat in the elections..."

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: According to the Election Commission of India, Bihar is poised to achieve the highest voter turnout in the state’s history.

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: Voting for the phase 1 of Bihar Assembly concluded at 6pm across 121 constituencies in 18 districts.

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: VIP chief and Mahagathbandhan's deputy CM face Mukesh Sahani tells ANI: "There is a wave of change in Bihar. There is bumper voting happening. I hope that there will be a change in Bihar. A Mahagathbandhan government will be formed."

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: EVMs are being sealed by polling officials as the voting for the first phase of the Bihar elections concludes in Tarapur.

Although voting time is 7 AM to 6 PM but due to security considerations, polling time has been curtailed to 5 pm in Simri Bakhtiyarpur, Mahishi, Tarapur, Munger, Jamalpur, and in 56 polling booths of the Suryagarha Assembly segment, according to ANI.

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: The voter turnout in Bihar for the first phase of assembly elections stands at 60.13 per cent, as of 5pm, as per the data shared by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Here's the approximate voter turnout trend:

-Begusarai: 67.32%

-Buxor: 55.10%

-Darbhanga: 58.38%

-Gopalganj: 64.96%

-Patna: 55.02%

-Sheikhpura: 52.36%

-Vaishali: 59.45%

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: Political blame game moved to the streets in Bihar's Lakhisarai on Thursday as deputy CM Vijay Sinha clashed with an RJD legislator in the middle of the road. As people moved to polling booths to vote in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections, Sinha and RJD MLC Ajay Kumar traded big allegations on the road. Read more here.

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD) founder Tej Pratap Yadav said his party would emerge as a "serious political force" after the Bihar elections.

"I am confident the people of Mahua will bless me again. Why won't they? I have worked for them, and they know it," he told PT.

Tej Pratap Yadav's JJD is fighting elections on 44 seats.

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: Bihar deputy CM Vijay Sinha inspected a polling booth in Nadiawan village, where he alleged that RJD MLC Ajay Kumar Singh and Congress leader Sujeet Kumar (former JDU leader) were trying to capture the booth with the help of the local administration, reports ANI.

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday alleged that the NDA was "preparing to steal" the assembly polls in Bihar, “just like they did in Haryana”, PTI reported.

Addressing back-to-back public rallies in Sitamarhi and East Champaran districts, the Congress general secretary alleged that the Election Commission (EC) was "colluding with the government to weaken our Constitution and democratic rights".

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: Addressing a poll rally in Bihar's Madhubani Union home minister Amit Shah says, "PM Modi has made the country safe. The PFI (Popular Front of India) even reached Phulwarisharif. It was an anti-national organisation... Tell me, should PFI be banned or not? PM Modi put everyone from PFI behind bars from Kerala to Phulwarisharif. Lalu says they should be released. Lalu ji, they will never be released, remember my words." (ANI)

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday trained guns at the Opposition's Mahagathbandhan, alleging that the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) snatched away the candidacy for the CM position by putting a ‘katta’ (country-made gun) to Congress's head.

“For the past few months, Congress leaders have been claiming that their party is the big one and RJD is just a small tag-along. But the RJD have challenged this arrogance of Congress, challenged the arrogance of their 'Namdaar' (an apparent reference to Rahul Gandhi) and by putting a 'katta' (country-made gun) to Congress's head, they've snatched away the candidacy for the CM position,” Modi said, according to ANI.

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: Addressing a poll rally in Bihar's West Champaran, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath says: "This grand alliance, in the form of Congress and RJD, has come among you carrying a bundle of lies, to make false promises...We had said that we would seize the properties of mafias, and in Uttar Pradesh, we have already done so..."

Bihar election 2025 LIVE updates: Bihar has recorded a voter turnout of 53.77 per cent as of 3pm in the first phase of assembly elections, as per the data of the Election Commission of India.

Begusarai had the highest turnout at 59.82%, while Patna recorded the lowest at 48.69%.