Bihar Elections 2024: 52.35% voter turnout recorded till 5 pm, says EC

Five Lok Sabha seats across Bihar voted in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha polls on May 20. The seats are Saran, Muzaffarpur, Hajipur, Sitamarhi and Madhubani.

The state, which sends 40 members to the lower house of the Parliament, has already voted in the first four phases held between April 19 to May 13. Bihar is voting in all the seven phases of the Lok Sabha elections 2024.

The result, meanwhile, will be declared on June 4.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, NDA (BJP, JDU and LJP) bagged 39 out of 40 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan (Congress, RJD and RLSP) won only one seat.

Bihar Lok Sabha Phase 5: Key candidates and contests to watch out for

In Saran, former Union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy's bid to score a hat-trick has been challenged by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad's daughter Rohini Acharya. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have campaigned in favour of Rudy.

In Muzaffarpur, Congress has fielded BJP turncoat and incumbent MP Ajay Nishad while BJP's candidate is Raj Bhushan. In Madhubani, the political landscape sees a battle between Ali Ashraf Fatmi of the RJD and Ashok Kumar Yadav from the BJP.

Hajipur becomes the stage for a face-off between Shiv Chandra Ram of RJD and Chirag Paswan representing the LJP (RV). In Sitamarhi, RJD's Arjun Rai is pitted against JDU's Devesh Chandra Thakur.

Follow all the live updates here:

06:15 pm: A voter turnout of 52.35 per cent was recorded till 5 pm in Bihar, as per Election Commission.

04:10 pm: Nearly 45.33 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 3 pm in five Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar.

Voting commenced at 7 am in Saran, Muzaffarpur, Hajipur, Sitamarhi and Madhubani.

03:25 pm: BJP candidate from Saran Lok Sabha seat, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, cast his vote for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections.

02:30 pm: Bihar saw a voter turnout 0f 34.62 per cent till 1 pm, according to the Election Commission.

1.48 pm: "Peaceful election is going on. I have also voted. I appeal to people to go out and vote, through it you decide your future. I don't repent not getting ticket this time. The party decided to field Devesh Chandra Thakur. I am with my party despite not getting ticket. There will be no effect on voting. People want Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Prime Minister. I did not want to be in Mahagathbandhan," said JD(U) leader Sunil Kumar Pintu. 

12:00 pm: According to the latest data by Election Commission, a voter turnout of 21.11 per cent was recorded till 11 am in Bihar.

10:30 am: After casting his vote, Union Minister and BJP candidate from Ujiarpur Lok Sabha seat Nityanand Rai said, "I have cast my vote. I appeal to people to vote. We are winning all 40 seats in Bihar."

10:00 am: Bihar saw a voter turnout 0f 8.86 per cent till 9 am, according to the Election Commission.

09:30 am: "There is a long line of people. This year, people are voting for the issues of unemployment and inflation," said RJD candidate from Saran Lok Sabha seat Rohini Acharya on Lok Sabha elections phase five polling.

09:00 am: Over 95 lakh voters in the five seats will decide the electoral fate of 80 candidates at 9,436 polling stations. Notable contestants include NDA ally Chirag Paswan in Hajipur, Lalu Prasad's daughter Rohini Acharya, who is pitted against two-term sitting BJP MP and former Union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy in Saran, and Muzaffarpur's sitting MP Ajay Nishad, who crossed over to the Congress after being denied a BJP ticket for a third term.

08:25 am: RJD candidate from Saran Lok Sabha seat, Rohini Acharya said, "This is the festival of democracy. I urge all voters to exercise their right to vote...He (BJP candidate Rajiv Pratap Rudy) is my uncle, I am seeking his blessings. I am sure he is proud of me and will bless me today."

On Tejashwi Yadav's '300 seats for INDIA Alliance' statement, she stated, "He is right, public trends are the same. This time, the public is suffering through unemployment, inflation...Public will win..."

07:00 am: Voting has begun in Saran, Muzaffarpur, Hajipur, Sitamarhi and Madhubani Lok Sabha seats wherein the electoral fate of 80 candidates will be decided.