Bihar polls: 68.7% voter turnout recorded in final phase

Voting in 122 of the 243 Assembly seats in the second and final phase of the Bihar elections took place on Tuesday. The provisional voter turnout was 68.7%, according to the Election Commission.

The polling began at 7 am and concluded at 5 pm.

Security had been tightened in the state following a blast near Delhi’s Red Fort metro station on Monday, which left at least eight persons dead. The police has filed a case under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

Bihar Director General of Police Vinay Kumar told ANI that authorities conducted overnight checks at lodges, hostels, bus and railway stations, and marketplaces as part of the security measures.

“The international border along Bihar has also been sealed for the past 72 hours in view of the elections,” ANI quoted him as saying. “Joint patrolling by state police forces is being carried out along the inter-state borders.”

The polling took place in the districts of Paschim Champaran, Purvi Champaran, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Supaul, Araria, Kishanganj, Purnia and Katihar. The other districts are Bhagalpur, Banka, Jamui, Nawada, Gaya, Jahanabad, Arwal, Aurangabad, Rohtas nad Kaimur.

The exit polls will be released after polling concludes on Tuesday.

The first phase of the Assembly election took place on Thursday. The voter turnout in the first phase was a record 64.6%, the Election Commission said.

The votes will be counted on Friday.

Ahead of the second phase of voting, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and the Opposition’s chief ministerial face Tejashwi Yadav criticised the Election Commission for not having disclosed gender-wise data of the voters in the first phase four days after polling, PTI reported.

This was happening for the first time, he said. “Earlier, it was given immediately,” the news agency quoted Yadav as saying.

Yadav said that the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan bloc will not allow “vote theft or dishonesty”.

The RJD leader also claimed that about 208 companies of security personnel had been deployed in Bihar for poll duties from states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, PTI reported.

“We are keeping a close watch on them,” the news agency quoted Yadav as saying. “Around 68% of police observers are from BJP-ruled States. Why is it so?”

The main contest in Bihar is between the ruling National Democratic Alliance and the Opposition Mahagathbandhan.

The NDA comprises Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United), the BJP, Union minister Chirag Paswan’s faction of the Lok Janshakti Party, the Rashtriya Lok Morcha and the Hindustani Awam Morcha.

The Mahagathbandhan includes the RJD, the Congress, the Vikassheel Insaan Party and 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-formed Indian Inclusive Party.

Key candidates in the fray in the second phase are Shreyasi Singh, a gold medallist in shooting, and former Deputy Chief Minister Renu Devi.

In the 2020 Assembly polls, the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan ended up with an identical vote share at 37.2%.

However, the NDA returned to power in Bihar with a slender majority, winning 125 seats in the 243-member state Assembly. The Opposition bagged 110 seats.

The RJD emerged as the single-largest party with 75 seats but still lost the election.

Follow Scroll’s coverage of the Bihar polls here.

Assembly bye-elections

Bye-elections to eight Assembly seats in seven states also took place on Tuesday. The constituencies were Budgam and Nagrota in Jammu and Kashmir, Anta in Rajasthan, Ghatsila in Jharkhand, Jubilee Hills in Telangana, Tarn Taran in Punjab, Dampa in Mizoram and Nuapada in Odisha.

The provisional voter turnout in Nagrota was 75%, Budgam 50%, Ghatsila 74.6%, Dampa 82.3%, Nuapada 79%, Tarn Taran 60.9%, Anta 80.3% and Jubilee Hills 48.2%.

The polls in Budgam were necessitated after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah resigned from the seat. During the Assembly polls in October 2024, besides Budgam, Abdullah had won from Ganderbal, which he retained.

In Nagrota, the bye-polls were scheduled following the death of BJP MLA Devender Singh Rana in late October 2024. MLA Ramdas Soren died in Jharkhand’s Ghatsila.

In Jubilee Hills, Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLA Maganti Gopinath died in June, Kashmir Singh Sohal in Tarn Taran, Lalrintluanga Saila in Dampa and Rajendra Dholakia in Nuapada.

The bye-polls in Rajasthan’s Anta were necessitated after BJP MLA Kanwarlal Meena was disqualified after being convicted in a criminal case.