The first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections recorded 27.5% voter turnout by 11 a.m., marking an active start to polling across 18 districts on Thursday, November 6. Among them, Begusarai registered the highest turnout at 30.37%, while Patna reported the lowest at 23.71%, according to the Chief Electoral Officer. Voting is being held in 121 Assembly constituencies, with 1314 candidates—including 1192 men and 122 women—contesting in this phase. A total of 3.75 crore voters are eligible, and polling is scheduled to continue until 6 p.m., except in six Naxal-affected seats where voting ends at 5 p.m.

This phase holds significant political weight for both alliances. For the Mahagathbandhan, ten of CPI(ML)’s twenty seats fall under this phase, with the party currently holding six of them. Within the NDA, ten of the 29 seats allocated to the Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas) fall in this round, though the alliance holds only one of these seats. The LJP(RV)’s share had earlier triggered discontent within NDA, especially from JD(U), citing the party’s negligible representation in the outgoing Assembly. Meanwhile, polling infrastructure has been strengthened with 45,341 booths, including women-managed, PwD-managed, and model polling stations, all equipped with webcasting facilities.

Security across the state has been tightened with the deployment of over 15 battalions of police and paramilitary forces to ensure peaceful voting, particularly in sensitive and Naxal-affected regions. District administrations, including Patna and Muzaffarpur, have arranged dedicated personnel at every booth, with thousands of polling stations prepared to handle the large voter base. Mock polls were conducted between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. to ensure smooth functioning of EVMs, while voters in districts like Lakhisarai, Samastipur, Gopalganj, Darbhanga, and Buxar began casting ballots early in the morning. Officials confirmed that all polling staff have been equipped with vehicles, EVMs, and essential materials to facilitate free, fair, and orderly elections across the state.