Patna: As polling began across 18 districts for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections on Thursday, political heavyweights and candidates themselves joined citizens in casting their votes early in the morning, urging the public to participate in large numbers in what they called the “festival of democracy.”
At Samastipur, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Ramnath Thakur was among the first to arrive at his polling booth. Casting his vote at booth number 73 in Karpoori Village, Thakur said, “I voted in the name of development. We must all vote for the growth of Bihar.” Nearly 2.9 million voters in the district are set to cast their ballots across 3,603 polling stations in this phase.
In Patna, Bihar Minister and BJP candidate from Bankipur, Nitin Nabin, exercised his franchise at Miller High School’s booth numbers 394 and 396 in Digha.
#WATCH | Lakhisarai, Bihar | Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and BJP candidate from Lakhisarai constituency, Vijay Kumar Sinha, casts his vote for the first phase of #BiharAssemblyElections pic.twitter.com/Mh82abTZVE
— ANI (@ANI) November 6, 2025
Deputy Chief Minister and BJP candidate from Lakhisarai, Vijay Kumar Sinha, also turned up to vote, describing the polls as a “grand festival of public faith.” He said, “Through our votes, we elect the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister. Today, Bihar will rise above those who brought anarchy and jungle raj. This is a proud moment for every Bihari.”
From Mokama, RJD candidate Veena Devi appealed to voters to come forward fearlessly. “We had the darshan of the Almighty. Everyone should step out of their homes and vote without fear or hesitation,” she said after casting her vote.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Giriraj Singh launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, alleging, “He wants the army to rebel. He wants society to rebel.”
With polling underway in 121 constituencies, attention now turns to voter turnout. In the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, the state recorded a turnout of around 57%, and the Election Commission is hoping for a higher participation this year as more citizens—including first-time voters and senior citizens—arrive at booths throughout the day.
