Bihar Election 2025 Live Updates: High turnout in 1st phase '65-volt' shock to opposition, says PM Modi

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday rubbished PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah's predictions of the NDA’s victory in the Bihar assembly polls. He pointed out that their '400+' claim in the Lok Sabha elections was way off the mark. "All was not wel" in the BJP-led coalition, as there were doubts that Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) president and longest-serving chief minister, would be backed for another term in office," he said.

"The Prime Minister can say anything. Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, they kept saying 400 paar," said Kharge, pointing to the performance of the BJP in last year’s general elections, when it fell short of a majority and became dependent on allies like JD(U) and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP for survival in power.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the people of Bihar have given the opposition INDIA bloc a '65-volt jhatka' in the first leg. Addressing his 14th and the final rally at Bettiah, PM Modi said centred his attack on the RJD, alleging that if voted to power, the opposition party, backed by its allies, will put a "katta" on the people's heads and order them to hold their "hands up".

"You have given a 65 volt shock to the opposition which is now having sleepless nights", said PM Modi at the rally, referring to the 65.09% turnout registered across 121 assembly segments where voting was held on November 6.

The Prime Minister also promised to be back in Bihar for the swearing in of the new NDA government after the counting of votes on November 14.

Andhra Pradesh IT Minister and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh will campaign for NDA candidates in Bihar on November 9. "Lokesh will proceed to Patna. He will take part in election campaigning in Patna on behalf of the NDA," said a release from the TDP on Saturday.

The 243-seat Bihar Assembly completed the first phase of its election on November 6, while the second phase is scheduled on November 11.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday claimed that her party was now fighting the same battle against the "Modi empire" that Mahatma Gandhi once fought against the British imperialists. Addressing back-to-back rallies in Bihar's Katihar and Bhagalpur districts, Vadra claimed that PM Narendra Modi was not maintaining the dignity of his post by using words such as 'katta' (country-made pistol).

Vadra criticised the NDA government, alleging that it has failed to provide employment to the youth and is handing over all public sector undertakings to PM Modi's "two corporate friends".

Prashant Kishor, founder of the Jan Suraaj Party, said on Saturday that migrant workers and young voters are the true “X factor” in the Bihar Assembly polls, rather than women.

Addressing the media in Supaul, the former election strategist claimed that these groups are firmly inclined toward voting for change.

"Migrant workers are coming back home in large numbers to vote along with their families. Migrant workers used to vote for the NDA in the past because they had no alternative," he said, claiming that this time, they were voting for his party.

"The PM earlier used to get votes of migrant workers and people in general by spreading fear of RJD's 'jungle raj'. However, he is unable to get a sense of the current ground situation. People who apprehended the resurgence of 'jungle raj' in Bihar can see an alternative this election in Jan Suraaj," he added.

(PTI inputs)

Union home minister Amit Shah, addressing a rally in Katihar, said Lalu Yadav and Rahul Gandhi see infiltrators as their vote bank and are afraid of them. "To protect that vote bank, they take out 'ghuspaithiya bachao yatra' in support of infiltrators. But we are not afraid of their vote bank, the BJP will identify every infiltrator and drive them out of India,” he said.

Rahul Baba and Lalu's son just started a "Save the Infiltrators" Yatra, said union home minister Amit Shah at a rally in Bihar's Purnea on Saturday. "They want Seemanchal to become a stronghold of infiltrators. But we will work to expel every single infiltrator not only from Seemanchal, but also from the entire Bihar... They snatch the jobs of our youth. They take away the rations of our poor and also make the country unsafe," Shah said.

"We will not only expel the infiltrators, but the encroachment they have made will also be razed to the ground... All the illegal businesses here were started during Lalu's rule and expanded by the infiltrators. In the next five years, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the NDA government will root out every single illegal activity in Seemanchal," he added.

Addressing a public rally in Bihar's Sitamarhi on Saturday, Prime Minister Modi again aimed at the Rashtriya Janata Dal over 'jungle raj' during 15 years of its rule in the state.

As the first phase of voting finished in Bihar on November 6, the PM held an election rally in Sitamarhi and said that Bihar now needs 'start-ups and not hands up'.

Stressing that the state is in dire need of opportunities in education, sports and employment for development, he slammed the RJD invoking the 'katta' (pistol) reference over 'jungle raj'.

"In Bihar, it's fashionable to come here with a pistol and say, 'Hands up'... Now, there's no place in Bihar for those who say 'Hands up'... Bihar needs 'startup', not 'Hands up'," PM Modi said. Read more

-Congress leader Pawan Khera alleged that people who have been casting votes for generations have been deleted from the voters' list in the first phase of the Bihar polls held on November 6.

-He accused the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission of India (ECI) of having allegedly worked together to manipulate votes in Haryana.

-"We received complaints from our workers that the names of people who have been casting votes for generations, their names were deleted from the voter list. The entire nation saw that SIR was a flop show in Bihar...With the collusion of the Election Commission of India and the BJP, we were not able to form the government in Haryana, and they stole votes," he said.

-Earlier, Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged "vote theft" in the Bihar elections, claiming that fake voters had been included in election lists and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and the Election Commission of orchestrating voter fraud in Haryana elections.

-He said that Bihar's youth would not allow such manipulation this time.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday held Prime Minister Narendra Modi responsible for the significant delay in the start of his rally in election-bound Bihar.

This comes amid intense campaigning in the state ahead of the second and final phase of the Bihar Assembly polls.

Arriving close to two hours after the scheduled start of his rally in Chenari, Rohtas district, the octogenarian accused BJP members of always coming in “our way”.

"I would have reached in time, but security officials at the airport told me I must wait till Narendra Modi's aircraft takes off. So I had to keep waiting inside my helicopter for about an hour and a half," Kharge was quoted by PTI. Read more

The first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections 2025 recorded a voter turnout of 65.08 per cent, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar announced on Saturday.

The CEO of Bihar stated that the first phase of the assembly elections was successfully conducted on November 6, 2025, across 121 seats in 18 districts of the state.

According to the CEO, the average voter turnout in the 2020 Bihar Assembly General Elections was 57.29 per cent, while the turnout for the 2024 Lok Sabha General Elections stood at 56.28 per cent. This reflects an overall increase in voter participation in the state compared to the previous two elections.

A brief airport interaction between JJD chief Tej Pratap Yadav and BJP MP Ravi Kishan on Friday drew attention and fuelled political chatter during the Bihar Assembly elections.

The two leaders were seen speaking as they left the Patna Airport terminal, prompting speculation over whether the meeting carried any political subtext.

Fresh off campaign tours, Yadav had been in Gaya promoting his party’s candidates, while Kishan had held rallies in East and West Champaran. Asked about the conversation, Tej Pratap dismissed any political undertone: “It’s the first time I’ve met Ravi Kishan. We both share devotion to Lord Shiva and wear the tika with pride.”

When questioned about a possible understanding with the BJP, the Hasanpur MLA—now contesting from Mahua—gave a measured response: “I will stand with anyone who works to end unemployment.”

Union minister Giriraj Singh on Friday expressed confidence that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would "win more than 206 seats" in the Bihar assembly polls.

Speaking to ANI, Giriraj Singh said, "In 2010, NDA won 206 seats. This time, in the first phase of voting yesterday, we are confident we will win more than 206 seats. (Bihar Deputy Chief Minister) Samrat Chaudhary said we will win around 110 seats out of 121 in the first phase, and he is right about it."

Ahead of the second phase of the Bihar elections, BJP candidate Shreyasi Singh highlighted the high voter turnout in the first phase of the polls on Saturday. The candidate from Jamui expressed confidence that all votes in the state are in favour of the NDA.

In her interaction with ANI, Singh stated that the atmosphere in all four constituencies of the Jamui district is favourable to the NDA. She further emphasised that the people's response to the Home Minister's rallies was unparalleled.

"The vote percentage seen, definitely all the voters are coming in favor of NDA... The atmosphere in all four constituencies of the Jamui district is in favour of the NDA. The response to the Union Home Minister's rally was unmatched at any other rally. The entire venue was filled with new energy..." said Singh.

Officials said four individuals in Bihar have been booked for allegedly photographing EVMs during polling and circulating the images on social media. The cases were registered in Ara, Gopalganj and Saran, all of which went to the polls in the first phase of the assembly elections on Thursday.

While two persons were booked in Gopalganj, cases were registered against one each in Ara and Saran, the officials said on Friday.

In separate statements, the police departments of the respective districts said that clicking photos of EVM during polling and sharing them on social media violates the Model Code of Conduct and other provisions of law.

(With PTI inputs)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Sitamarhi and Bettiah on Saturday to address public meetings ahead of the final phase of the Bihar Assembly elections.

In a post on X, PM Modi said he will seek the blessings of the people and expressed confidence that Bihar's voters, committed to the vision of a "Developed Bihar," will ensure a massive majority for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the concluding phase of the polls.

The Prime Minister wrote, "My family members, who have taken the resolve of 'Developed Bihar', are going to ensure a massive majority for the NDA even in the second and final phase of the Bihar Assembly elections."

"Amidst this immense support, tomorrow morning around 11 am, I will seek the blessings of the people-public in the public meetings in Sitamarhi, and in the afternoon around 1 pm in Bettiah," he added.