Patna: The final and decisive phase of polling for the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections will take place on Tuesday, when 37,013,556 voters will determine the political future of 1,302 candidates across 122 constituencies in 20 districts. Voting will be held from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., marking the conclusion of a closely watched two-phase electoral contest in the state.
Once polling concludes, exit polls by various agencies are expected to be released, offering early indicators of which party or alliance may form the next government. These polls will estimate vote shares and projected seat tallies for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan), and emerging regional players.
In the first phase, held earlier this month, Bihar recorded a voter turnout of approximately 65% across 121 constituencies — the highest participation rate in over two decades.
However, past experiences have shown that exit polls in Bihar have often missed the mark. During the 2020 Assembly elections, nearly all major exit polls failed to predict the final outcome accurately. Agencies such as Today’s Chanakya (CNN-News18) and India Today-Axis My India had forecast a landslide victory for the Grand Alliance, while Times Now-CVoter, ABP News-CVoter, and ETG predicted a hung assembly with the Grand Alliance marginally ahead.
In reality, the NDA emerged victorious, securing 125 seats, while the Grand Alliance managed 110 — a result that defied most predictions.
This time, analysts suggest that the state’s high voter turnout, coupled with strong regional undercurrents, could again make exit poll predictions uncertain. As polling day approaches, all eyes are now on November 12, when results of both the ballot and the exit polls will begin shaping Bihar’s political narrative.
