Bihar polls 2025: 65.08% voter turnout in first phase, highest in state’s history

Bihar registered a record voter turnout of 65.08 per cent in the first phase of its assembly elections held on November 6, the Election Commission said on Saturday — the highest in the state’s electoral history.

According to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Bihar, this marks an increase of 7.79 percentage points over the 2020 assembly polls, when 57.29 per cent of voters had exercised their franchise.

Over 3.75 crore voters were eligible to vote across 45,341 polling stations, including 36,733 in rural areas, to decide the fate of 1,314 candidates — 1,192 men and 122 women.

Women participated in large numbers this time, with 1.76 crore women among the 3.75 crore registered voters.

Two districts — Muzaffarpur (71.81%) and Samastipur (71.74%) — saw the highest voter participation, both crossing the 70 per cent mark. Other districts with strong turnout included Madhepura (69.59%), Saharsa (69.38%), Vaishali (68.50%), and Khagaria (67.90%).

In comparison, Patna recorded 59.02 per cent, Lakhisarai 64.98 per cent, Munger 62.74 per cent, and Siwan 60.61 per cent.

The remaining 122 seats of the 243-member assembly will go to the polls on November 11, with counting scheduled for November 14.