| The high-stakes battle for Bihar has entered a crucial stage as the state gears up for the first phase of Assembly elections tomorrow (6 November), covering 121 constituencies across 18 districts. Over 3.75 crore voters will decide the fate of 1,314 candidates, including several ministers, prominent leaders, and new entrants from various fields.
Polling will be held from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., though voting will conclude an hour earlier — at 5 p.m. — in select constituencies such as Simri Bakhtiyarpur, Mahishi, Tarapur, Munger, Jamalpur, and 56 booths in Suryagarha due to security considerations.
The campaigning for the first phase ended on Tuesday, with star campaigners and senior leaders from both the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan making a final push to woo voters through rallies, roadshows, and doorstep outreach across key battleground districts.
Within the NDA, JD(U) is contesting 57 seats, followed by BJP with 48, LJP (Ram Vilas) with 14, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha with 2. The Mahagathbandhan alliance has RJD contesting 73 seats, Congress 24, and CPI(ML) 14. The newly formed Jan Suraj Party is also testing its electoral strength, fielding 119 candidates. Interestingly, in five constituencies — Rajapakar, Bachwara, Beldaur, Gaura Boram, and Bihar Sharif — Mahagathbandhan partners are facing off against each other.
The first phase will see the electoral fate of 16 ministers from the Nitish Kumar-led government being decided, including Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary (Tarapur) and Vijay Kumar Sinha (Lakhisarai). Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, the Mahagathbandhan’s Chief Ministerial face, is contesting from Raghopur for the third time, while his brother Tej Pratap Yadav is fighting from Mahua on a Jan Shakti Janta Dal ticket.
Among other key figures are Health Minister Mangal Pandey contesting from Siwan, seven-time MLA Shravan Kumar of JD(U) seeking an eighth term from Nalanda, and Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary contesting from Sarai Ranjan in Samastipur district.
Adding star appeal, folk singer Maithili Thakur is contesting from Alinagar, while Bhojpuri actor-singer Khesari Lal Yadav (Shatrughan Yadav) is in the fray from Chapra.
Meanwhile, preparations are underway for the second phase of polling scheduled on November 11, which will cover 122 constituencies across 20 districts. Counting of votes for all phases will take place on 14 November 2025. In total, 90,712 polling booths will be set up to facilitate voting for over 7.43 crore electors across Bihar.
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