Polling begins for 121 seats in first phase of Bihar assembly elections, a look at high-stakes constituencies

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Polling for 121 assembly constituencies in Bihar began early Thursday under tight security arrangements, marking the first phase of the state elections. Voting, which started at 7 a.m., will continue till 5 p.m., officials said.

Around 3.75 crore voters are set to determine the fate of 1,314 candidates in this phase, which features prominent faces including INDIA bloc’s chief ministerial nominee Tejashwi Yadav and BJP’s Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to come out in large numbers, calling the event “the first phase of the celebration of democracy in Bihar.” He posted on X, “I urge all voters in this phase of the assembly elections to cast their votes with full enthusiasm.” Congratulating young electors, he added, “Remember: first vote, then refreshments!” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also appealed to voters to participate wholeheartedly, calling the polls a “celebration of democracy.”

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav encouraged people to vote, saying, “Voting is crucial for the sake of democracy, the Constitution, and humanity.” Contesting from Raghopur, Yadav aims for a third consecutive victory. His key rival, BJP’s Satish Kumar, had earlier defeated Yadav’s mother, Rabri Devi, in 2010 while representing JD(U).

Meanwhile, Samrat Choudhary is contesting from Tarapur after nearly a decade, seeking to convert his legislative council tenure into a direct mandate. He faces a stiff contest from RJD’s Arun Kumar Sah, who narrowly lost the seat in 2020.

Vijay Kumar Sinha, the other Deputy Chief Minister in Nitish Kumar’s cabinet, is fighting to retain Lakhisarai for the fourth time. His challengers include Amresh Kumar of Congress and Suraj Kumar from the Jan Suraaj Party.

Among the high-profile candidates is BJP minister Mangal Pandey, contesting an assembly election for the first time from Siwan. A member of the legislative council since 2012, he is up against seasoned RJD leader Awadh Bihari Chaudhary, a former Speaker and multiple-term MLA.

The neighbouring Raghunathpur seat has also drawn attention due to the candidature of Osama Shahab, son of late gangster-turned-politician Mohd Shahabuddin, once dubbed the “uncrowned king” of Siwan. His entry has been used by NDA leaders as an example of what they describe as RJD’s “return of jungle raj.” BJP’s Himanta Biswa Sarma remarked that even the name “Osama” reminded one of the slain terrorist Osama Bin Laden.

Mokama too promises a dramatic contest, with JD(U)’s Anant Singh, currently in jail over the killing of a Jan Suraaj Party supporter, pitted directly against RJD’s Veena Devi, wife of former gangster Suraj Bhan.

Tejashwi’s elder brother, Tej Pratap Yadav, contesting under his own party Janshakti Janata Dal, is battling for Mahua. The seat is currently held by RJD’s Mukesh Raushan. The fight has turned multi-cornered with NDA’s Sanjay Singh of LJP (Ram Vilas) and Independent Ashma Parveen, who was runner-up in 2020, also in the mix.

Celebrities and new entrants have added further colour to the electoral field. Folk artist Maithili Thakur (BJP-Aliganj), Bhojpuri star Khesari Lal Yadav (RJD-Chhapra), and actor-singer Ritesh Pandey (Jan Suraaj Party–Kargahar) are among those contesting.

Nearly a dozen ministers are seeking re-election, including BJP leaders Nitin Nabin (Bankipur), Sanjay Saraogi (Darbhanga), Jibesh Kumar (Jale), and Kedar Prasad Gupta (Kurhani). From the JD(U) camp, ministers Shrawan Kumar (Nalanda) and Vijay Kumar Chaudhary (Sarairanjan) are also in the fray.

Voting is being held across 45,341 polling stations, with about 36,733 of them situated in rural areas, underscoring the largely agrarian character of this phase of Bihar’s electoral battle.