Bihar elections 2025 updates: RJD supporters hurl slippers at Dy CM's car

Bihar Assembly elections 2025 voting today: Over 37.5 million voters are set to cast their ballots across 121 constituencies in the first phase today. Polling will continue till 5 pm

Voting for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections began early on Thursday (November 6), with over 37.5 million voters eligible to cast their votes in 121 of the 243 constituencies. Polling started at 7 am and will continue till 5 pm at 45,341 polling stations.   The second phase of polling will be held on November 11, followed by counting on November 14.

 

Bihar Assembly elections 2025: Top updates

 

1. Supporters of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Thursday surrounded the car of Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and BJP candidate from Lakhisarai, Vijay Kumar Sinha, during his visit to the constituency, news agency ANI reported. The protesters hurled slippers and chanted “Murdabad” slogans, preventing Sinha’s vehicle from moving forward.  

 

  2. By 1 pm, about 42.31 per cent of voters had cast their ballots in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections. 

 

3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed the voter enthusiasm in Bihar, saying the people were once again showing support for the NDA. Addressing a poll rally in Bhagalpur, Modi said a “spectacular picture of participation” was emerging from the first phase of voting. “Once again, a message is going out to the entire state of Bihar from the land of Bhagalpur — ‘Ek Baar Phir NDA Sarkar’,” the Prime Minister told the crowd. 

 

  He praised the strong participation of women voters, saying, “Our mothers and sisters are casting their votes with great zeal. The daughters of Bihar are standing strong to keep the state away from ‘Jungle Raj,’ forming disciplined lines at polling stations like a fortress.”

 

4. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of manipulating the Haryana elections, claiming that the party’s victory was the result of “vote chori”. Speaking at a public meeting in Purnia, Gandhi said, “Yesterday, I held a press conference in Delhi regarding ‘vote chori’ in Haryana. With evidence, we showed how Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and the Election Commission together targeted the Constitution of India. We clearly showed that BJP won Haryana elections through ‘vote chori’.”

 

5. Top candidates in fray: A total of 1,314 candidates are contesting in this phase. Prominent names include Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary (BJP), Maithili Thakur (BJP, Aliganj), Khesari Lal Yadav (RJD, Chhapra), and Ritesh Pandey (Jan Suraaj Party, Kargahar). Other notable contestants include Anant Singh, Nitin Nabin (Bankipur), Sanjay Saraogi (Darbhanga), Jibesh Kumar (Jale) and Kedar Prasad Gupta (Kurhani).

 

Bihar elections 2025: What to carry to the polling booth

 

While the Voter ID (EPIC) card is preferred, several other documents are valid for identification. Voters can carry any one of the following:

 

• Passport

• Driving licence

• PAN card

• Aadhaar card

• MNREGA job card

• Smart card issued by the Ministry of Labour

• Health Insurance Smart Card (Labour Ministry)

• Service ID card (Central/State government employees)

• Pension document with photo

• Bank or post office passbook with photo

 

According to the final electoral rolls, Bihar has 74.2 million registered voters, 39.2 million men and 35 million women. Voting is taking place at 90,712 polling booths, with an average of 818 voters per booth, to ensure smooth and accessible polling.     

 

Bihar Assembly elections 2025: Key battlegrounds to watch

 

The 2025 Bihar Assembly elections are shaping up to be a direct contest between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Mahagathbandhan.

 

1. Mokama

Known for its strongman politics, Mokama continues to revolve around Anant Singh, who has won four times for different parties. Back with JD(U) after legal troubles, Singh faces RJD’s Veena Devi in a direct contest.

 

2. Tarapur

Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary (BJP) will face RJD’s Arun Shah in Munger’s Tarapur, a caste-diverse seat. Shah had narrowly lost the 2021 bypoll by just 3,800 votes.

 

3. Raghopur

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav defends his family bastion against BJP’s Satish Kumar and JSP’s Chanchal Kumar. Employment promises dominate his campaign.

 

4. Mahua

Tej Pratap Yadav, now leading JJD, seeks a comeback against RJD’s Mukesh Raushan and LJP’s Sanjay Singh after his split from RJD.

 

5. Alinagar

Singer-turned-politician Maithili Thakur (BJP) debuts against RJD’s Binod Mishra in the RJD-leaning Alinagar seat.

 

6. Arrah

Arrah sees a triangular fight among BJP’s Sanjay Singh ‘Tiger’, JSP’s Vijay Kumar Gupta, and CPI(ML)’s Quyamuddin Ansari.