Bihar Election 2025 Phase 1: 13% Voter Turnout by Morning; Lalu Yadav’s Sons Face Crucial Test

Bihar kicked off the first phase of its 2025 Assembly elections on Thursday, with polling underway in 121 constituencies across 18 districts. By mid-morning, overall voter turnout was reported at 13%, signaling an early start in a high-stakes electoral battle.

Among the prominent names in the fray are Lalu Prasad Yadav’s sons, Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav, whose political futures are closely watched. Tejashwi, contesting from Raghopur on the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) ticket, faces stiff competition from BJP’s Satish Kumar, while Tej Pratap is fighting from Mahua under his own political banner, Janshakti Janata Dal. Their performances are seen as crucial indicators of the RJD’s strength and public support ahead of the full assembly verdict.

Voting for the first phase will continue until 6 PM, except in some areas where polling will conclude at 5 PM. In 2020, voter engagement in these constituencies set the tone for the overall results, making today’s turnout a key focus for all political parties.

The first phase covers a mix of urban and rural constituencies in Patna, Darbhanga, Saharsa, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Vaishali, Samastipur, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Munger, Sheikhpura, Nalanda, Buxar, Bhojpur, Madhepura, and other key districts. Over 3.75 crore voters are eligible to cast ballots at 45,341 polling stations, including model polling stations, women-managed stations, and facilities for differently-abled voters.

Besides the RJD, the first phase sees a three-way contest between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), opposition Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), and the debuting Jan Suraaj Party led by Prashant Kishor. Key candidates in the race include NDA’s Samrat Choudhary (Tarapur) and Anant Singh (Mokama), along with emerging faces from the Jan Suraaj Party aiming to make a mark.

The outcome of this phase will be closely analyzed, as it sets the stage for the remaining two phases of polling and could indicate the political trajectory for Bihar in the next five years.