Voting Commences For 121 Seats In First Phase Of Bihar Assembly Elections

Voting began for 121 seats in Bihar in the first phase of assembly elections on Thursday morning, amid tight security arrangements, an official said. The polling commenced at 7 am and will continue till 5 pm.

In the first phase, a total of 3.75 crore voters will decide the electoral fate of 1,314 candidates, including prominent leaders such as the INDIA bloc’s chief ministerial face, Tejashwi Yadav, and BJP’s Deputy Chief Minister, Samrat Choudhary.

The RJD’s succession question has long been settled in favour of Tejashwi Yadav, but the current phase will also test whether his estranged elder brother, Tej Pratap Yadav, who recently launched his own outfit, the Janshakti Janata Dal, can pose any significant challenge. Tej Pratap is contesting from the Mahua Assembly seat.

Two other constituencies drawing close attention are Mokama and Raghunathpur. In Mokama, JD(U) leader Anant Singh who was recently arrested in connection with the murder of a Jan Suraaj Party supporter faces RJD’s Veena Devi, the wife of Suraj Bhan, who himself has multiple criminal cases pending.

Veena Devi offered prayers at a temple ahead of casting vote, saying, "I want to tell the voters that they should not fear anyone and vote peacefully. There is no need to fear anyone."

In Raghunathpur, Osama Shahab, the 31-year-old son of the late gangster-turned-politician Mohd Shahabuddin, is contesting on an RJD ticket.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to citizens to participate in the polling process with full enthusiasm.

"Today marks the first phase of the celebration of democracy in Bihar. I urge all voters in this phase of the assembly elections to cast their votes with full enthusiasm," he wrote on X.

He further added, "On this occasion, my special congratulations to all my young friends in the state, who are casting their votes for the first time. Remember: first vote, then refreshments!"

Yadav appealed to voters to come out for the polling process, saying,“Voting is crucial for the sake of democracy, the Constitution, and humanity”

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also called upon voters to take part in the “celebration of democracy” and extended his congratulations to the first-time voters.

The Deputy Chief Minister in the Nitish Kumar government, Vijay Kumar Sinha, will also have his electoral fate sealed in the first phase of polling.

Sinha is seeking to retain the Lakhisarai seat for a fourth consecutive term, facing what is seen as a relatively modest challenge from Amresh Kumar of the Congress and Suraj Kumar of the Jan Suraaj Party.

BJP leader and minister Mangal Pandey, a former state party president, is contesting from Siwan, marking his debut in an assembly election.

Other seats and candidates whose performance will be keenly watched include young folk singer Maithili Thakur (BJP-Aliganj), Bhojpuri superstars Khesari Lal Yadav (RJD-Chhapra) and Ritesh Pandey (Jan Suraaj Party – Kargahar).

With PTI inputs