Bihar Election 2025: Voting Begins for the First Phase – 3.75 Crore Voters to Decide Fate of 1,314 Candidates Across 121 Seats

The first phase of the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 began on Thursday (November 6) with polling underway for 121 constituencies from 7 a.m. A total of 3.75 crore voters will decide the fate of 1,314 candidates in this round. The high-stakes contest features key leaders including Tejashwi Yadav, the Mahagathbandhan’s Chief Ministerial face, and Samrat Choudhary of the BJP. The future of 16 ministers in the Nitish Kumar government also hangs in the balance.

Tejashwi Yadav Eyes Third Straight Win in Raghopur

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav is contesting from Raghopur, aiming for his third consecutive victory. His main rival is Satish Kumar of the BJP, who, back in 2010, defeated Tejashwi’s mother and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi while contesting on a JD(U) ticket. The Jan Suraj Party has fielded Chanchal Singh from the same constituency.

Tough Fight in Mahua: Tej Pratap Yadav Faces Multi-Cornered Battle

In the neighboring Mahua constituency of Vaishali district, Tej Pratap Yadav, Tejashwi’s elder brother and founder of the Jan Shakti Janata Dal, faces a tight contest against multiple opponents. He is up against Mukesh Roshan of the RJD, Sanjay Singh from LJP (Ram Vilas)—a constituent of the NDA—and Asma Parveen, an independent candidate who secured the second position in the 2020 polls.

16 Ministers in the Fray – Including Two Deputy CMs

The fate of 16 ministers from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s cabinet will be decided in this first phase—11 from BJP and 5 from JD(U).
From the BJP, the key candidates include:

• Mangal Pandey (Siwan) – Health Minister
• Nitin Navin (Bankipur)
• Samrat Choudhary (Tarapur) – Deputy CM
• Vijay Kumar Sinha (Lakhisarai) – Deputy CM
• Jivesh Mishra (Darbhanga) – Urban Development Minister
• Sanjay Sarogi (Darbhanga Urban) – Revenue Minister
• Kedar Prasad Gupta (Kudhni) – Panchayati Raj Minister
• Raju Kumar (Sahibganj) – Tourism Minister
• Krishna Kumar Mantu (Amanour) – IT Minister
• Sunil Kumar (Bihar Sharif) – Environment Minister
• Surendra Mehta (Bachhwara) – Sports Minister

From JD(U), the ministers contesting are:

• Vijay Kumar Choudhary (Sarai Ranjan) – Water Resources Minister
• Shravan Kumar (Nalanda) – Rural Development Minister
• Madan Sahni (Bahadurpur) – Social Welfare Minister
• Maheshwar Hazari (Kalyanpur) – Information & Public Relations Minister
• Ratnesh Sada (Sonbarsa)

Mangal Pandey Contests Assembly Poll for the First Time

Senior BJP leader Mangal Pandey is contesting an Assembly election for the first time, representing Siwan. His main opponent is veteran RJD leader and former Assembly Speaker Awadh Bihari Choudhary. Until now, Pandey has served as a Legislative Council member.

Mokama Constituency Draws Maximum Attention

The Mokama seat has become one of the most discussed constituencies in this election. Here, Anant Singh of the JD(U), who is currently in jail, faces Veena Devi of the RJD—the wife of influential leader Suraj Bhan Singh. The strong local influence of both candidates has made this seat particularly high-profile.

Voting and Security Arrangements

According to the Election Commission, polling is being held across 121 constituencies in districts such as Madhepura, Saharsa, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Vaishali, Samastipur, Begusarai, Khagaria, Munger, Lakhisarai, Sheikhpura, Nalanda, Patna, Bhojpur, and Buxar.

Digha (Patna) has the highest number of voters at 4.58 lakh, while Barbigha (Sheikhpura) has the lowest with 2.32 lakh.

Kudhni and Muzaffarpur have the maximum number of candidates (20 each), while Bhore, Alauli, and Parbatta have the minimum (5 each).

A total of 45,341 polling stations have been set up, with 36,733 located in rural areas.

There are 3,75,13,302 registered voters, including 1,98,35,325 men, 1,76,77,219 women, and 758 third-gender voters. The number of new voters stands at 10.72 lakh, including 7.38 lakh in the 18–19 age group.

To ensure smooth polling, 121 general observers, 18 police observers, and 33 expenditure observers have been deployed. The Election Commission has placed special emphasis on maintaining security, particularly in rural and sensitive regions.