Bihar Assembly Elections Achieve Historic Voter Turnout
On Tuesday, the Election Commission announced that Bihar’s Assembly elections witnessed an impressive voter turnout of 66.9%, marking the highest participation rate since 1951.
In the first phase of voting on November 6, which covered 121 out of 243 constituencies, the turnout was recorded at 65%. The provisional figures for the second phase indicate a turnout of 68.7%, according to the electoral body.
Women voters accounted for 71.6% of the turnout, while male participation stood at 62.8%.
The counting of votes is scheduled for Friday.
For comparison, the voter turnout in the 2020 Assembly elections was 57.2%, and in 2015, it was 56.9%.
Voting took place at 45,399 polling stations under tight security measures following a tragic explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort metro station on Monday, which resulted in at least eight fatalities. Authorities have initiated a case under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
Press Note
11.11.2025 pic.twitter.com/zEJjd2zJGj—Chief Electoral Officer, Bihar (@CEOBihar) November 11, 2025
The primary competition in Bihar is between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Opposition Mahagathbandhan alliance.
The NDA includes the Janata Dal (United) led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the Bharatiya Janata Party, Chirag Paswan’s faction of the Lok Janshakti Party, the Rashtriya Lok Morcha, and the Hindustani Awam Morcha.
Conversely, the Mahagathbandhan consists of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress, Vikassheel Insaan Party, three Left parties (the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), the Communist Party of India, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist)), along with the newly established Indian Inclusive Party.
Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj, which is not aligned with either major coalition, is making its electoral debut.
The Opposition has nominated RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as their candidate for Chief Minister, while the NDA is contesting under Kumar’s leadership.
Kumar has held the Chief Minister position for nearly two decades, with a brief hiatus between 2014 and 2015.
Recent exit polls suggest that the NDA is likely to outperform the Mahagathbandhan, with results released following the conclusion of the final phase of voting.
A party or coalition needs to secure 122 seats in the 234-member Assembly to establish a government.
In the previous Assembly elections of 2020, both the NDA and Mahagathbandhan recorded an identical vote share of 37.2%. However, the NDA managed to retain power with a narrow majority, winning 125 seats, while the Opposition secured 110 seats.
Despite the RJD emerging as the largest party with 75 seats, they ultimately lost the election.
