Women outnumber men in Bihar polls for third consecutive time

In Bihar assembly polls, women voters outnumbered men with 71.6% turnout, contributing to a historic overall voter participation of 66.91%.

Women voters once again outnumbered their male counterparts in the Bihar assembly polls, recording a 71.6% turnout as against 62.8% for men, continuing the trend that has reshaped the voting profile in the eastern state over the three assembly elections, according to provisional data released by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday.

Women voters wait in a queue to cast their vote for the second phase of the Bihar assembly election, in West Champaran on Tuesday. (@CEOBiharX)

Overall, Bihar recorded its highest-ever voter turnout in the ongoing assembly elections, with 66.91% of the electorate exercising their franchise. The turnout marks a jump of nearly ten percentage points from 2020, when 57.29% of electors had voted, indicating a substantial rise in public participation across both rural and urban constituencies.

Describing the Bihar polls as “historic” for both voter participation and the conduct of the electoral process, chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said: “(Bihar) Voters have made history in independent India today. They cast the highest percentage of votes in all elections held since 1951, at approximately 66.9%. Women have expressed their complete faith in the Election Commission, resulting in the highest voter turnout ever, at 71%. These transparent and peaceful elections in Bihar have shown the whole of India a lesson. The Election Commission has always stood with its voters, stands with them, and will continue to do so.”

He added that the high turnout demonstrated the strength of India’s democracy.

Polling for all 243 assembly constituencies across 38 districts of Bihar took place in two phases, covering over 74.5 million electors. The first phase, held on November 6 for 121 seats across 18 districts, recorded a turnout of 65.08%. The second and final phase, conducted on Tuesday for 122 seats across 20 districts, saw 68.79% participation, according to ECI’s provisional data.

The final turnout figure may increase following scrutiny and tallying ballot votes.

Talking about the second-phase polling, Bihar chief electoral officer (CEO) Vinod Singh Gunjiyal said the polling was peaceful with no untoward incident being reported from anywhere in the state. Earlier, polling stations in Naxal-affected areas were often shifted for security reasons, but this time, no booths had to be relocated, he emphasised. “We deployed adequate forces in these locations and polling took place smoothly. In the past, we sometimes had to send helicopters to facilitate voting, but this time, there was no such need,” the CEO added.

The second phase, where polling was held in peripheral and border districts, saw Katihar recording 78.86%, Kishanganj recorded 78.15%, followed by Purnia (76.26%), Supaul (72.68%), East Champaran (71.44%) and West Champaran (70.86%).

At the constituency level, the top five turnouts were in Kasba (81.48%), Thakurganj (81.32%), Pranpur (81.01%), Barari (80.96%), and Purnia (79.95%) — all located in the Seemanchal region bordering West Bengal. These areas, with a high share of agrarian and minority voters, have consistently registered higher-than-average polling.

By contrast, the lowest turnouts were reported from Nawada (55.03%), Bhagalpur (56.19%), Gobindpur (57.32%), Warsaliganj (58.07%) and Karakat (58.19%) — constituencies in the Magadh and Anga regions of southern and central Bihar, where outmigration and urban-rural divides often affect participation.