As Bihar votes for the first phase of assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged the people of Bihar to participate in the festival of democracy with full enthusiasm to exercise their voting rights.
In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi also extended congratulations to the young voters who are going to cast their vote for the first time, urging them to prioritise voting before all chores, saying, "Pehle matdaan, fir jalpaan."
"Today in Bihar is the first phase of the festival of democracy. My appeal to all voters of this phase in the assembly elections is that they should vote with full enthusiasm. On this occasion, my special congratulations to all my young companions of the state who are going to cast their vote for the first time. Remember--first voting, then refreshments!" PM Modi posted on X.
Voting for the first phase of the 2025 assembly elections in Bihar began today at 7.00 am across 121 constituencies in 18 districts of the state's 243 seats, with approximately 3.75 crore electors casting their ballot.
Polling will conclude at 6 pm, and due to security considerations, polling time has been curtailed to 5 pm in some constituencies.
The first phase will decide the fate of several senior leaders, including RJD's Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, BJP leaders Samrat Choudhary and Mangal Pandey and JD(U)'s Shravan Kumar and Vijay Kumar Choudhary.
Strongman Anant Singh and Tej Pratap Yadav are also competing in the first phase.
According to the Election Commission, there are 10.72 lakh 'new electors', and 7.78 lakh voters are in the age group of 18-19 years. The total population of these constituencies, as stated by the Election Commission, is 6.60 crore.
Presiding officers have handed over Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to polling agents ahead of the polling day.
Tejashwi Yadav, who is Mahagathbandhan's chief ministerial candidate, is in the fray from Raghopur. He has held the seat since 2015 and faces a tough challenge from BJP's Satish Kumar Yadav, who lost in the 2020 assembly elections.
Tejashwi Yadav's brother, Tej Pratap Yadav, who floated a new party, Janshakti Janta Dal, after his exit from RJD, has fielded Prem Kumar for the seat.
Jan Suraaj Party, led by Prashant Kishor, has fielded Chanchal Singh, and this could alter the dynamics in Raghopur.
Tej Pratap Yadav is in the fray from Mahua constituency.
The Tarapur seat in the Munger district is witnessing a contest between Deputy Chief Minister and BJP's Samrat Choudhary, RJD's Arun Kumar and Jan Suraaj's Santosh Kumar Singh.
The seat was won by the JD(U) candidates in the 2010 and 2015 polls.
Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha is contesting from the Lakhisarai seat. He is facing Congress' Amaresh Kumar and Jan Suraaj's Suraj Kumar.
The Mokama constituency has been in the headlines after the murder of Dularchand Yadav. Known for clashes between strongmen, or 'bahubalis', Mokama will witness a contest between JD(U) candidate Anant Kumar Singh, who has been arrested in the murder case, and Veena Devi, wife of former MP and influential leader Surajbhan Singh.
In Darbhanga, the BJP has fielded folk singer Maithili Thakur, and she is contesting against 63-year-old RJD candidate Binod Mishra. Thakur, 25, is the youngest candidate and would become the youngest MLA if elected.
There are a total of 122 women candidates in the fray in the first phase of polls.
Jan Suraj Party fielded 119 candidates in this phase. Within NDA, JD(U) is contesting 57 seats, followed by BJP on 48 and LJP (Ram Vilas) on 14.
Among the Mahagathbandhan constituents, RJD is contesting 73 seats in the first phase, followed by 24 from Congress and 14 from CPI(ML). There will be a friendly fight on a few seats among Mahagathbandhan constituents.
In the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, polling took place in three phases. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured 125 seats, while the opposition Mahagathbandhan (MGB) won 110.
Among the major parties, the Janata Dal (United) bagged 43 seats and the Congress 19. The JD(U) had contested 115 constituencies and the BJP 110, whereas the RJD contested 144 seats and the Congress 70.
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