Nitish Kumar cast his vote in Bakhtiyarpur and urged citizens on X to treat voting as a “festival of democracy,” saying, “Vote first, then refreshments!”
The main contest is between the NDA and the INDIA bloc, while Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj seeks to make an impact in its debut election.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar cast his vote on Thursday morning (November 6) during the first phase of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. He arrived at a polling station in Bakhtiyarpur with a small entourage, voted, and later showed his inked finger to the media.
Earlier, the Chief Minister urged citizens on X to participate actively in the polls. Describing voting as both a right and a duty, he encouraged people to cast their ballots and motivate others to do the same, calling the elections a “festival of democracy”.
He added, “Vote first, then refreshments!”
Polling began at 7am across 121 constituencies in 18 districts. The opening phase spans diverse regions, including parts of Patna, Vaishali, Muzaffarpur and Gopalganj.
More than 3.75 crore voters will determine the fate of 1,314 candidates, among them prominent figures such as RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha. Voting will continue until 6pm.
In Mahua, Tej Pratap Yadav of the Janshakti Janata Dal faces a three-cornered contest against Mukesh Kumar Raushan of the RJD and Sanjay Singh of the LJP.
The wider battle is primarily between the NDA — led by Janata Dal (United) and the BJP — and the Opposition Mahagathbandhan (INDIA bloc) under Tejashwi Yadav. Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj, contesting all 243 seats in its debut election, is aiming to disrupt the race.
The second phase of polling will take place on November 11, with counting scheduled for November 14.
