Prime Minister Narendra Modi rang the first bell of Bihar’s assembly elections on Thursday with a confident tweet on X. “The tremendous enthusiasm of the people in Bihar on the grand festival of democracy indicates that the NDA is going to secure an unprecedented majority in the Assembly elections…,” he wrote, echoing his upbeat outlook for the BJP and its allies.
The first phase of voting covered 121 of Bihar’s 243 assembly seats across 18 districts, from Patna to Bharghahi. Voting ran from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., closing a little early at 5 p.m. in a few sensitive areas for security reasons. By 5 p.m. the turnout was 60.13 percent, with Begusarai leading at 67.32 percent and Sheikhpura at 52.36 percent. In total, 3.75 crore voters—about 1.98 crore men, 1.77 crore women and 758 people of other genders—cast their ballots, including 10.72 lakh new voters added after a special revision of the electoral roll.
The contest is a three‑way race. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA)—led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and the BJP—faces the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, CPI, CPI‑M, CPI‑ML Liberation and Mukesh Sahani’s Vikassheel Insaan Party. A newcomer, Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party, will field candidates in all 243 seats and could split the vote.
Key leaders were in the mix. Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD contested a three‑seat battle in Raghopur. The BJP’s Samrat Choudhary fought in Tarapur, while JD‑U’s Anant Singh ran from Mokama while in jail. The sitting MLA Tej Pratap Yadav (son of Lalu Prasad) contested Mahua, and BJP’s Maithili Thakur stood in Alinagar.
The day saw sporadic violence. Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha reported an attack on his convoy by RJD supporters in Lakhisarai. RJD leaders alleged voter intimidation, police misconduct and halted voting boats in Danapur, demanding a fresh commission probe.
Prominent figures cast their votes early. Tejashwi Yadav, with Lalu Prasad and his family, voted in Patna. Union Ministers Giriraj Singh and Rajiv Ranjan Singh “Lalan” voted in the capital, while Deputy CM Sinha did the same in Lakhisarai. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar urged citizens to “vote and inspire others”.
The second phase will be held on November 11, and the counting is slated for November 14. With voter moods showing strong enthusiasm for the NDA, the final outcome could reshape Bihar’s political landscape and send ripples across India.
Source: ianslive
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