Patna: As Bihar went to polls for the first phase of its Assembly elections on Thursday, Union Minister Giriraj Singh stirred controversy with remarks about women voters wearing burqas, asserting that India is a “secular country” where Election Commission rules must prevail.

Speaking to reporters, Singh said, “This is India — the Election Commission’s rules apply here, right? When a woman in a burqa goes to get an Aadhaar card, she lifts it.

When she goes to the airport, she lifts it. When she goes to get a reservation or receive government benefits, she lifts it. Is this Pakistan or Bangladesh?

Is this an Islamic country or a secular one? This is a secular country — if anyone has doubts here, we will make them show their face.”

His comments came as voting began for 121 Assembly constituencies across Bihar amid tight security. Polling started at 7 am and will continue till 5 pm.

In this first phase, 3.75 crore voters will decide the fate of 1,314 candidates, including several key leaders such as Tejashwi Yadav — the INDIA bloc’s CM face — and Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary of the BJP.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged voters to exercise their franchise enthusiastically, calling it a “celebration of democracy”.

“Today marks the first phase of the celebration of democracy in Bihar. I urge all voters to cast their votes with full enthusiasm,”

Modi said on X, also congratulating first-time voters: “First vote, then refreshments!”

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh echoed the appeal, while Tejashwi Yadav urged voters to protect democracy, the Constitution, and “humanity”.

High-Profile Contests

  • Tejashwi Yadav is eyeing a hat-trick in Raghopur, facing BJP’s Satish Kumar, who had earlier defeated Rabri Devi in 2010.
  • Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary is contesting from Tarapur, facing a stiff challenge from RJD’s Arun Kumar Sah.
  • Vijay Kumar Sinha, the state’s other Deputy CM, seeks a fourth consecutive win from Lakhisarai.
  • Mangal Pandey, BJP minister and former state party chief, is contesting his first Assembly election from Siwan, taking on veteran RJD leader Awadh Bihari Chaudhary.
  • Osama Shahab, son of late strongman Mohd Shahabuddin, contests from Raghunathpur, drawing sharp NDA criticism linking his name to “return of jungle raj”.
  • In Mokama, jailed JD(U) leader Anant Singh faces RJD’s Veena Devi, wife of another controversial figure, Suraj Bhan.
  • Tej Pratap Yadav, Tejashwi’s estranged elder brother, is in a multi-cornered battle in Mahua after launching his own outfit, Janshakti Janata Dal.
  • Other notable names include Maithili Thakur (BJP–Aliganj), Khesari Lal Yadav (RJD–Chhapra), and Ritesh Pandey (Jan Suraaj–Kargahar) — adding a celebrity spark to the polls.

Voting is being held across 45,341 polling stations, of which over 36,700 are in rural areas.