Bihar Records All-Time High 64.66% Voter Turnout in Phase 1 of Elections

Seats voting in the first phase of the 2025 Bihar Assembly election saw a provisional voter turnout of 64.66 per cent, marking the highest in the state’s history.

The previous record for a state Assembly election was 62.57 per cent in 2000, while the highest turnout for a Lok Sabha election in Bihar was 64.6 per cent in 1998. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar expressed gratitude to voters for participating in large numbers and to poll workers for their efforts.

The spike in turnout comes amid the controversial special intensive revision (SIR) of the voter lists, which the opposition criticized as an attempt to disenfranchise poor and marginalized communities. The revision resulted in the removal of 47 lakh names, reducing the overall voter base from 7.89 crore to 7.42 crore. While this reduction may have inflated the turnout percentage, the actual number of votes cast is also a factor.

Historically, high voter turnouts in Bihar have often been associated with anti-incumbency sentiment, a factor the opposition is seeking to leverage, aided by promises such as a government job for every household. For example, in 2010, the JD(U)-BJP alliance won decisively with a 52.73 per cent turnout. In 2015, JD(U) allied with the RJD and saw turnout rise by 4.18 per cent, securing a victory. In 2020, turnout was 57.29 per cent, and the JDU-BJP alliance retained power despite some seat losses.

The 2025 first-phase turnout is 7.37 per cent higher than the overall turnout in 2020 and 8.46 per cent more than the first phase that year. While high turnouts are often seen as favorable for the opposition, this is not always the case — in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, turnout increases did not prevent BJP victories in consecutive elections.

Phase 1 covered 121 of Bihar’s 243 assembly seats. The remaining 122 seats will vote on November 11, with results declared on November 14. Among prominent contestants in this phase was Tejashwi Yadav, contesting from Raghopur, a family stronghold. Other high-profile constituencies included Tarapur (Deputy CM and BJP state chief Samrat Choudhary), Alinagar (BJP pick Maithili Thakur), and Mokama (JDU’s Anant Singh, whose campaign was affected by a murder case arrest).

In the 2020 elections, the RJD emerged as the single-largest party with 75 seats, followed by the BJP with 74, JDU with 43, and Congress with 28, highlighting the continuing competitive political landscape in Bihar.