After the record turnout of 64.66% in phase 1, the action now shifts to the second and final phase of polling --- with voters in 122 constituencies casting their ballots in the high-stakes assembly elections in Bihar.
A total of 122 constituencies across 20 districts are going to the polls today. In the first phase, polling was held in 121 seats across 18 districts. In this phase, a total of 1,302 candidates are in the fight, 136 (about 10 per cent) of them women.
Polling will be held in 45,399 centres, and the number of eligible electors is 3.70 crore -- 1.95 crore men and 1.74 crore women. In the 2020 election, the BJP won 42 out of these 122 seats, followed by RJD (33), JDU (20), Congress (11), and the Left (5). In the 2015 election, when the JDU and RJD were allies, the BJP's seat tally had dropped to 36, and the JDU-RJD-Congress block won 80 out of these 122 seats.
Here’s a closer look at the key candidates who are grabbing attention:
-Sheela Mandal in Phulparas - From Phulparas constituency in Madhubani, Mandal of JD(U) is again in the spotlight. Currently the Minister for Transport and Communication, she is known for her strong grassroots presence. In 2020, she faced criticism for her remarks comparing Veer Kunwar Singh and Ramphal Mandal, two freedom fighters. She noted that Kunwar Singh, being from the Rajput caste, received greater national recognition, whereas Ramphal Mandal, from an Extremely Backward Caste, did not get equal honour despite his sacrifices.The comment had sparked backlash from upper caste groups but also opened a discussion about representation and caste balance in Bihar’s freedom history.
-Ritesh Pandey- Renowned Bhojpuri singer and actor Ritesh Pandey is contesting from Kargahar constituency in Rohtas as a Jan Suraaj Party candidate. Pandey became a household name through films like ‘Balma Bihar Wala’ and Tohre Me Basela Pran. His song “Hello Kaun” became a sensation. On October 9, 2025, Jan Suraaj surprised everyone by announcing Ritesh as its candidate from Kargahar, a seat many believed Prashant Kishor himself would contest from. Kargahar was long considered Prashant Kishor’s own political turf. Many speculated that PK himself might enter the fray from here, given it is his birthplace and a seat he reportedly favoured. But with Ritesh Pandey now officially in the race, political circles are curious to see where Prashant Kishor will contest.
-Jayant Raj Kushwaha- Jayant Raj is the son of former MLA Janardan Manjhi, who earlier represented the same constituency. Educated in BBA from Marwari College, Bhagalpur, he entered politics with energy and loyalty to Nitish Kumar. Jayant Raj Kushwaha, Minister of Rural Work, represents the Amarpur constituency in Banka district. A member of JD(U), he is one of the younger faces in Nitish Kumar’s cabinet. In 2020, he won by defeating Congress candidate Jitendra Singh, securing 33.13% of votes, just ahead of Singh’s 31.23%.
-Renu Devi’s mother was active in the Sangh Parivar, which shaped her early ideological grounding. She began her political journey through social activism in 1981, joined BJP Mahila Morcha in 1988, and soon rose to leadership positions. Devi, currently Bihar’s Minister for Animal and Fisheries Resources, has had a long political career. She earlier served as Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar from November 2020 to August 2022, making her the fifth woman Deputy CM in India. She has represented Bettiah multiple times. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself campaigned in her constituency this time.
- Mohammad Zama Khan - He is the sitting MLA from Chainpur in Kaimur (Bhabua) district, has had a dramatic political journey. In 2020, he won the seat on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket with a margin of nearly 35,000 votes. Later, he joined JD(U) and became Minister of Minority Affairs in the Nitish Kumar cabinet. Zama Khan once faced strong protests from sections of the Muslim community in Bhabua city. His convoy was surrounded by demonstrators shouting slogans like “Zama Khan Murdabad,” accusing him of not defending minority interests. The protest was led by Mohammad Hanif Khan, the AIMIM district president, who said, “The new Waqf Bill has hurt the community, and Zama Khan, as Minority Welfare Minister, has failed to take a stand.”
- Tarkishore Prasad from Katihar- Kathihar, in the Seemanchal region bordering West Bengal, is a key seat. The BJP has fielded one of its seniormost leaders and former deputy chief minister, Tarkishore Prasad, from here. In 2020, Tarkishore Prasad polled 82,669 votes while the nearest rival, Ram Prakash Mahto (RJD), secured 72,150 votes. In 2015, he won the seat by defeating the nearest rival Bijay Singh (JDU) by a margin of 14,894 votes.
This time he is up against Vikassheel Insaan Party's (VIP) Saurabh Kumar Agarwal and Ghazi Sharique Ahmad of the Jan Suraaj Party. Saurabh is the son of Ashok Agarwal, a BJP Member of the State Legislative Council.
-Nitish Mishra is the BJP candidate from Jhanjharpur. He is the son of former Biahr CM Jagannath Mishra. Nitish, who studied abroad, began his political career with the Janata Dal (United). In 2005, he won his first assembly election from the traditional family stronghold of Jhanjharpur. He was re-elected in 2010. However, in 2015, the Jhanjharpur seat was given to an RJD candidate. Nitish subsequently joined the BJP and contested the election but lost by a narrow margin. He made a successful comeback in 2020, winning the seat for the fourth time. He is up against BSP candidate Birendra Kumar Singh, Ram Narayan Yadav from CPI and Keshav Bhandari from kan Surah party.
-Leshi Singh from Dhamdaha- It’s a fight between heavyweights minister Lesi Singh of the JD(U), a five-term MLA from Dhamdaha, and Santosh Kushwaha, who quit the ruling JD(U) to join the RJD. In 2020, Singh defeated RJD candidate Dilip Kumar Yadav.
Singh is trying to portray Kushwaha as a “betrayer”, while Kushwaha bets on people’s will for a change. Meanwhile, Jan Suraaj’s Rakesh Yadav, a former councillor from Rangpur South Panchayat, presents himself as the fresh option. Dhamdaha, one of the seven Assembly constituencies in Purnia district of Seemanchal region, is one of the keenly watched contests in the Bihar polls.
-Bijendra Prasad Yadav from Supaul- The Janata Dal (United) has once again fielded its long-term MLA Bijendra Prasad Yadav, who is Minister for Energy, Planning and Development in the Nitish Kumar government. Meanwhile, Congress has fielded Minnatullah Rahmani, and Jan Suraaj has fielded Anil Kumar Singh. Yadav is an eight-time MLA from Supaul and has won several elections as JD(U) candidate. Before the 2000 assembly elections, Yadav represented the erstwhile Janata Dal. Known locally as “Kosi ke Vishwakarma”, Yadav is credited for taking initiatives to complete infrastructure projects, including building roads and bridges.
-Uday Narain Choudhary from Sikandra- Uday Narain Choudhary is the RJD candidate contesting from Sikandra (Scheduled Caste) constituency. The former Bihar Assembly Speaker bid farewell to Imamganj, his seat for four decades. Choudhary, who won the seat five times and lost three times from 1990 to 2020.
He will be up against Prafulla Kumar Manjhi from Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha.
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