Bihar Phase 1 voting concludes with provisional 64.46% turnout, says CEO

New Delhi: The first phase of Bihar’s assembly elections concluded on Thursday with a provisional voter turnout of 64.46 per cent across 121 constituencies, Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Singh Gunjiyal said.

Approximately 3.75 crore eligible voters decided the fate of 1,314 candidates at 45,341 polling stations, including 36,733 in rural areas. Voting began at 7 a.m. and ended at 6 p.m. under heavy security.

Gunjiyal reported mostly peaceful polling, with only minor scuffles in Lakhisarai and Saran districts. A total of 143 complaints were received and quickly resolved. However, some booths in Buxar, Fatuha, and Suryagarha witnessed polling boycotts.

The remaining 122 seats will go to the polls on November 11, with counting scheduled for November 14.

Begusarai district reported the highest turnout at 67.32 per cent, followed by Samastipur (66.65 per cent) and Madhepura (65.74 per cent). The Bachhwara segment in Begusarai registered the highest individual polling figure at 69.67 per cent till 5 p.m.

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By 3 p.m., the overall turnout stood at 53.77 per cent, with Patna lagging behind at 48.69 per cent. In Begusarai, Cherai-Bariarpur recorded 62.55 per cent polling, followed by Bachhwara (60.98 per cent) and Teghra (60.27 per cent).

District-wise turnout at 3 p.m. included Bhojpur (50.07 per cent), Buxar (51.69), Darbhanga (51.75), Gopalganj (58.17), Khagaria (54.77), Lakhisarai (57.39), Madhepura (55.96), Munger (52.17), Muzaffarpur (58.40), Nalanda (52.32), Patna (48.69), Saharsa (55.22), Samastipur (56.35), Saran (54.60), Sheikhpura (49.37), Siwan (50.93), and Vaishali (53.63).

Polling began steadily with an average turnout of 27.65 per cent by 11 a.m., rising to 42.31 per cent by 1 p.m. Early voting was brisk in Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Saharsa, and Muzaffarpur.

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Voting remained largely peaceful, with no major incidents reported. Over 1,314 candidates, including 122 women, are contesting in this phase. The electorate totals 3.75 crore voters — 1.98 crore men, 1.76 crore women, and 758 third-gender voters — spread across 45,341 polling stations, of which 36,733 are in rural areas.

The ECI set up 320 model booths, 926 women-managed stations, and 107 managed by persons with disabilities. Webcasting was installed across all polling stations for live monitoring. Over 15 battalions of police and paramilitary forces were deployed, with special arrangements in Naxal-affected areas where voting ended an hour early at 5 p.m.