Bihar Election 2025 Updates: High-voltage campaign for phase 1 polling ends, over to EVMs now

The high-voltage campaign for the first phase of the Bihar assembly elections, covering 121 constituencies, ended on Tuesday evening, after weeks of intense exchanges, personal attacks, and election-centric rhetoric.

"Under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's double engine government has brought development to the ground there. During RJD's time, Bihar was only known as a 'bimaru' state. We have brought Bihar from being a 'bimaru' state to now a developed Bihar."

"NDA is about to win and Nitish Kumar will once again become the Chief Minister... Nitish Kumar has accomplished historic feats over the last 20 years... He has given so much to Bihar. Nothing like this has happened since Independence."

Addressing a rally in Bihar's Aurangabad, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi kicked up a row on Tuesday after he said the Army is 'under the control of 10 per cent of the country's population (referring to the so-called upper castes)'.

- NDA to get comfortable majority, to get more than 160 seats

- NDA fighting the polls under Nitish Kumar's leadership

- I strongly support PM Modi's statement on tactics used by RJD to convince Mahagathbandhan to name Tejashwi as CM pick.

- The decision to name the next chief minister will be taken collectively after the polls.

PM Modi said: "I had planned to talk to all of you sisters before the first phase of voting about your hard work and your experiences. I would try to understand them. I would try to experience them..."

After Janata Dal (United) leader Lalan Singh allegedly made remarks to intimidate voters, the Patna district administration on Tuesday registered an FIR against the Union Minister.

The case has been filed under appropriate sections of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Representation of the People Act for alleged violations during the election process. Read more here

Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday exuded confidence that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will secure a decisive victory in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, asserting that the ruling alliance will win "more than 160 seats" and form the next government under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

"We will win more than 160 seats and form a government in Bihar," Shah said in an interview with Times Now on Monday, adding, "Nitish Kumar is the CM here and Narendra Modi is the PM there. The CM's seat is not vacant, and neither is the PM's."

Addressing a public rally in Aurangabad, Bihar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah know that they cannot win the elections in Bihar.

"There’s only one way for them to win, by stealing votes. 'Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod'. They stole votes in Maharashtra, Haryana, they stole Lok Sabha elections, and now they are trying to steal the votes in Bihar. But the people of Bihar are alert, no one can steal from the people of Bihar," he said.

Addressing an election rally in Bihar’s Darbhanga on Tuesday, union home minister Amit Shah said that 3.6 crore people in the state will receive health cover of up to Rs 5 lakh if the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) retains power.

“As many as 3.60 cr people have been covered with free health insurance up to Rs 5 lakh crore,” said Shah on the final day of campaigning for the first phase of Bihar Assembly polls. Read here

The Election of Commission of India (ECI) on Monday said enforcement agencies have confiscated illegal cash, liquor, drugs and other freebies worth more than Rs 100 crore from poll-bound Bihar and other states where assembly by-elections are due to be held.

As of November 3, over Rs 108.19 crore worth of illicit inducements, including Rs 9.62 crore in cash, liquor worth Rs 42.14 crore (9.6 lakh litres), drugs worth Rs 24.61 crore, precious metals worth Rs 5.8 crore and other freebies worth over Rs 26 crore have been seized from different states and union territories, the ECI said in a statement. Read more here

BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh says, "No one takes the statements of Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi seriously. Mallikarjun Kharge either doesn't understand or doesn't know Hindi. Whenever they speak, they spew venom."

BJP MP Ravi Kishan says, "We are getting to know that the Mahagathbandhan is heading towards a defeat. RJD knows that on many of its seats BJP is going to win."

RJD leader Misa Bharti said on Tuesday that Tejashwi Yadav is getting tremendous support from Bihar's unemployed brothers because "we are going into the elections on their issues".

"We are talking about the youth, women, inflation, and jobs. There has been a double-engine government since 2005... Everyone has seen Bihar's plight, despite having a double-engine government in Bihar, there is no factory, no means of employment, migration is the highest... The Prime Minister speaks about guns from the stage, while Tejashwi speaks about jobs, irrigation, education, medicine, and income. The youth have made up their minds that this time they want to make Tejashwi the Chief Minister," she said.

RJD leader and Mahagathbandhan's chief ministerial face, Tejashwi Yadav, on Tuesday said if INDIA bloc is voted to power in Bihar, farmers will get Rs 300 per quintal of paddy, Rs 400 for wheat as bonus over Minimum Support Price (MSP).

"Whether it is paddy or wheat, even today under the current government, farmers are not getting the MSP (Minimum Support Price) properly for these two crops. The middlemen are the ones who benefit. When our government comes to power, we will provide an incentive to farmers, an additional payment of Rs 300 per quintal over and above the MSP for paddy, and an additional Rs 400 per quintal over and above the MSP for wheat," said the RJD leader at a presser on the last day of campaigning for the first phase of Bihar election. Read here

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday stated, "We want to tell you all that, based on the demands of our mothers and sisters, our government is about to be formed. As you all know, Makar Sankranti, the festival of curd and til, falls on 14th January. After our government is formed, on that very day, under the Mai Bahin Maan Yojana, we will deposit Rs 30,000 directly into the bank accounts of mothers and women for one full year. This will help them financially in this period of inflation."

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday claimed that this time, people of Bihar will uproot the government that has been in power for the last 20 years -- expressing optimism over Mahagathbandhan's win in the upcoming polls.

"We have been campaigning across Bihar. This is the last day of campaigning for the first phase of the election. People are in the mood for a change. This time, the people of Bihar will uproot the government that has been in power for the last 20 years," he said.

-Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday hit out at the Mahagathbandhan, alleging that Bangladeshi infiltrators were given a free hand to spread anarchy in Bihar during the rule of earlier governments.

-Addressing a public meeting at Digha, CM Yogi said the same forces that once divided society along caste lines and pitted "Hindu against Hindu" have now come together again under the banner of the Mahagathbandhan.

-"The people who have created an identity crisis for Bihar are the same who have come together today in the form of Mahagathbandhan. Bangladeshi infiltrators were given free rein to spread anarchy throughout Bihar by raising caste armies and pitting Hindu against Hindu. This trend that began in Bihar between 1992 and 2005 created an identity crisis for Bihar," he was quoted as saying by ANI.

-Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of protecting "infiltrators", and asserted that the BJP will weed out such names from Bihar's electoral rolls as well as the entire country.

-Addressing a public meeting in Madhubani, Amit Shah said, "Rahul Baba says that infiltrators should be kept in the voter list of Bihar. He takes out an infiltrator's protection yatra to save them. Rahul Baba, carry out as many yatras as you want in the country, our BJP's resolve is to handpick and remove infiltrators from the country and Bihar."

-Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta said that the people of Bihar have realised that the state's progress is possible only under the leadership of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), accusing the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) of looting and misleading the people for years.

-Rekha Gupta told reporters that Bihar's people, especially women, know development is possible only under the NDA, adding the "panjewale" and "lantern wale" parties have always looted and misled the state.

-The Delhi CM said, "The people of Bihar, the women, everyone is alert; they know that the development of Bihar is possible only and only in the rule of NDA... These 'panjewale' and 'lantern wale' have always looted Bihar and always left the people in distress, therefore the people of Bihar will not fall for their words..."

(With ANI inputs)

-Under the BJP's 'Mera Booth Sabse Majboot' initiative, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with women workers of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in Bihar today as campaigning for the first phase of assembly elections enters its final stretch.

-"Women's power in Bihar is working with extraordinary energy and commitment to ensure the victory of the BJP-NDA in the assembly elections," Modi said in a post in Hindi on X.

-He said the participation of women in the election campaign is further strengthening democracy in Bihar.

-"I will interact with my mothers and sisters at 3.30 pm on November 4 under the 'Mera Booth Sabse Majboot - Mahila Samvad' initiative," the prime minister said.

Tuesday (November 4) is the last day of campaigning for Phase 1 of the Bihar Assembly polls. The first phase of assembly elections in Bihar will be held on November 6 during which 121 constituencies spread across 18 districts will go to vote.

The remaining 122 seats will go to polls in the second phase on November 11. Counting of votes will take place on November 14.