Bihar Polls Phase 1: 42.31% Voter Turnout Till 1 PM

GG News Bureau
Patna, 6th Nov: The high-stakes Bihar Assembly election began today with 42.31% voter turnout recorded till 1 PM across 121 constituencies in the first phase of polling. The battle lines are sharply drawn between the ruling NDA led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the Opposition Grand Alliance helmed by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, and LJP leader Chirag Paswan cast their votes early in the day. “Vote and inspire others to vote,” Nitish posted on social media, while Lalu Yadav, sharing a symbolic family photo, remarked, “The roti should keep turning on the tawa, otherwise it will burn. 20 years is too long — Bihar needs a new youth-led government.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged voters to turn out in large numbers, calling the election a “festival of democracy.” Confident of NDA’s victory, he asserted that the coalition would secure an unprecedented majority.

The Opposition, riding on anti-incumbency, has made unemployment, migration, and corruption the central themes of its campaign. Tejashwi Yadav’s flagship promise of one government job per household—amounting to 1.3 crore jobs—has captured public attention, though the NDA dismissed it as impractical, countering with a pledge to create one crore jobs and boost women entrepreneurship.

The BJP’s campaign, powered by PM Modi, Amit Shah, and JP Nadda, reaffirmed Nitish Kumar’s leadership after speculation that he might be replaced. The Congress, however, has faced criticism for its subdued campaign, despite an earlier joint rally featuring Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav.

Meanwhile, election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party, contesting all 243 seats, is viewed as the X-factor that could reshape vote dynamics. Kishor has claimed his party will “either win fewer than 10 or more than 150 seats,” while refusing to ally with any bloc.

Polling today covers most of Central Bihar, where the Grand Alliance performed strongly in 2020, winning 63 of the 121 seats. The final voter turnout and youth participation are expected to define the outcome in this closely fought contest between continuity and change.