Polling Underway for Second Phase of Bihar Assembly Elections Across 122 Constituencies

Voting for the second phase of the Bihar Assembly elections began at 7 AM on Tuesday and will continue until 6 PM, with polling in Naxal-affected areas concluding an hour earlier at 5 PM.

A total of 1,302 candidates — including 1,165 men, 136 women, and one third-gender candidate — are contesting in this phase. The main battle is between the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan, though parties like AIMIM and Jan Suraj are expected to impact results in select constituencies.

Polling is taking place in 122 seats — 101 general, 19 reserved for Scheduled Castes, and 2 for Scheduled Tribes — spread across 20 districts including West Champaran, East Champaran, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Katihar, Purnea, and Kishanganj.

According to the Election Commission, 3.7 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in this round, including 10.2 lakh new voters. Among them are 7.69 lakh first-time voters in the 18–19 age group.

The ECI has established 45,399 polling stations — 5,326 in urban areas and 40,073 in rural regions. These include 595 women-managed, 91 PwD-managed, and 316 model booths, with webcasting arranged at all locations.

To ensure peaceful polling, 1,650 companies of central security forces have been deployed across the state. The Bihar Police have tightened security, especially in seven districts along the Indo–Nepal border — including West Champaran, Sitamarhi, and Araria. Surveillance has been intensified with drones, CCTV cameras, and Quick Response Teams (QRTs), while both international and inter-state borders have been sealed to prevent illegal movement.